In the coming years Latvia’s Corruption Prevention and Combating Bureau (KNAB) may encourage allocating state budget funding to regional political parties.
The Corruption Prevention and Combating Action Plan 2021-2023 composed by KNAB details that currently state budget funding is provided to political parties that received votes from more than 2% of voters in the last Saeima elections – EUR 4.50 per vote, EUR 0.50 per vote received in the last European Parliament elections and an additional amount of EUR 100,000 to political parties that received votes from more than 5% of voters in the last Saeima elections.
In accordance with proper order detailed in the law KNAB has made the decision to allocate state budget funding to ten political organizations in Latvia for a period of four years.
The annual state budget financing for political parties in Latvia is EUR 4,531,492.
Although a great deal of work was put into reforming the political parties financing model between 2015 and 2020, it is still too soon to predict and evaluate the possible effect these changes may have on reducing the role of money in politics and the presence of top-level political corruption, the plan mentions.
KNAB’s objectives for the next couple of years will be reviewing and evaluating the existing state budget funding allocation model for political parties and develop proposals for its possible improvements. This includes evaluating options for provision of state budget funding to regional political parties as well.
A report on the transparency of the use of state budget funding by political parties will be prepared as well. (BNN/Business World Magazine)
