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The federal elections do not take place until October 22, but September 7 was an important day for candidates, parties and associations: they had to report their budgets for the election campaign to the Federal Audit Office by then. It will gradually publish the information in the coming days. With the publication of the figures, Switzerland is taking a long-awaited step towards greater transparency in the field of political financing. Here you will find the most important questions and answers.
Where can I find information about who is donating and how much money is spending for the 2023 election campaign?
The Federal Audit Office (SFAO) has launched a website for this purpose. Important to know: At this time these are only budgets, or predictions, and not final figures.
So far, there is still relatively little information available, namely the information that has already been reported to the SFAO in recent weeks and months. The Financial Control now has until September 22 to publish all reports.
What actually needs to be reported?
Anyone running a campaign that costs more than 50,000 francs must declare this. Donations from individuals or organizations exceeding 15,000 francs must also be reported. Anyone who falls below these thresholds does not have to provide information. Especially in small cantons, it is unlikely that many candidates will be affected by the new arrangement, because they will be able to get by with less money in their election campaign.
Anyone running for a seat in the Council of States does not have to report their budget, because the elections for the small chamber are a cantonal matter. However, elected councilors, like all other candidates, parties and associations, must submit their final accounts after the elections. This is therefore published by the EFK.
Are there loopholes in the law?
Yes, there certainly are. Only the coming weeks and months will likely reveal the gaps in the new regulations. For example, it is controversial whether foundations affiliated with the party – such as the SVP’s ‘Foundation for Civic Politics’ – must reveal who has donated amounts in excess of 15,000 francs to the election campaign. Rolf Dörig, chairman of the board of directors of the Swiss Life Group and member of the board of directors, has already announced in SRF’s “Rundschau” that the Foundation for Civic Politics will indicate how much it transfers to the SVP. However, the names of those who transferred more than 15,000 francs to the foundation are not mentioned.
Searching the website is annoying, are there alternatives?
The SFAO has strict restrictions on how it publishes the data. However, a journalistic initiative consisting of the WAV research collective, the transparency platform Lobbywatch, the research network Investigativ.ch and Opendata.ch is planning its own platform, Moneyinpolitics.ch, on which the data will be prepared and presented in a more understandable way. way. The website is expected to be operational in early October.
This article was first published in the “Observer”. You can find more exciting articles at www.beobachter.ch.
This article was first published in the “Observer”. You can find more exciting articles at www.beobachter.ch.
What’s next?
All reported budgets will be posted on the EFK website no later than September 22. After the elections on October 22, candidates, parties and associations have until December 21 to report their accounts to the EFK. These are then posted and therefore publicly visible.
What happens if you deliberately provide false information?
The EFK can only carry out random checks. However, if she suspects false information, she can report it to the police. If you deliberately file a false declaration, you risk a fine of up to 40,000 francs. If there is an actual conviction, SFAO will include a corresponding reference in the published data. However, such a referral will certainly not have any influence on the elections: it normally takes several years for the criminal proceedings to be completed.
Source:Blick
I am Liam Livingstone and I work in a news website. My main job is to write articles for the 24 Instant News. My specialty is covering politics and current affairs, which I’m passionate about. I have worked in this field for more than 5 years now and it’s been an amazing journey. With each passing day, my knowledge increases as well as my experience of the world we live in today.
