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We just have to believe it now: “The SVP Switzerland uses the funds according to the guidelines.” The claim cannot be verified because SVP spokeswoman Andrea Sommer writes: “The annual reports will not be published.” With this attitude, the SVP is in good company: other parties have also rejected the observer. The request was actually harmless.
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This article was first published in the paid offer of beobachter.ch. Blick+ users have exclusive access as part of their subscription. You can find more exciting articles at www.beobachter.ch.
It concerns the money that the parliamentary groups in Federal Bern receive for their secretariat. You should know that the political groups are the main actors in parliament. They advise on important council matters and try to reach agreement on a uniform position. The templates are often complicated. It is easy to understand that preparation requires a lot of work and organization. The parliamentary groups can finance the effort with federal money.
A total of 7.5 million francs is available annually for this purpose. The contribution amount is based on a simple formula. There is a fixed rate of 144,500 francs and another 26,800 francs per faction member. As the largest parliamentary group with 74 members, the SVP receives approximately 2.1 million francs, the SP with 50 members is entitled to approximately 1.5 million francs.
So what do our elected officials do with these tax dollars? They must account for this annually in a report. So says the law. The “Observer” would have liked to see these reports.
The center, the Greens and the SP had no problem with transparency. They emailed the reports right away. Most of the money is therefore spent on wages and rents. The SVP held back, as described. The FDP-Liberal faction tried a boy’s trick: they had to contact the parliamentary services. The catch: the reports are not covered by the disclosure law. If the parliamentary services were to release the documents, it would be illegal.
The communications manager of the services had already made this statement to “Le Matin Dimanche”. According to the Weschen Sonntagszeitung, the federal parliamentarians interpret the legal purpose very freely and also use the money for party purposes.
The Greens gave part of the money to Denis de la Reussille and Stéfanie Prezioso. The two are faction members, but not party members. “The money was passed on to support their own priorities in the group’s work and is therefore in line with its intended purpose,” said Green Party spokeswoman Rahel Estermann.
However, the information from the center faction also raises questions. In 2022, the party registered 440,200 francs for “contributions to partners and for the 2023 elections”. It seems unclear whether the money was actually used in accordance with the law.
“From our point of view that is the case. A distinction between work for the faction or group members and for the party is not always clear. The general and faction secretariat provides various services for the group, which are also used during the elections,” says Mitte spokesperson Thomas Hofstetter.
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.
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