site.btaIndividuals Donate Nearly BGN 1.56 Mln in October 27 Elections

Nearly BGN 1.56 million were donated by individuals to parties and coalitions for the parliamentary elections on October 27, 2024. This is three times more than the donations from individuals during the general elections on June 9, said the National Audit Office following a compliance audit between declared revenues and expenditures in the election campaign.

A total of 29 entities took part in the October 27 vote – 19 political parties, nine coalitions of parties, and one initiative committee, compared to 31 participants four months earlier. The total amount of 345 donations from individuals for the autumn elections, each exceeding the minimum wage of BGN 933 for the audited period, was nearly BGN 1.56 million. In comparison, during the spring vote, 361 donations raised just over BGN 510,000.

Also higher was the amount contributed by candidates to parties and coalitions: BGN 994,000 for June 9 compared to just over BGN 1.5 million for October 27, according to data from the National Audit Office.

During the audit, the National Audit Office reviewed 18 participants in the latest parliamentary elections — eight parties, nine coalitions, and one initiative committee. It was found that all of them complied with the deadline set under the Election Code for submitting a report to the National Audit Office on their revenues, expenses, and incurred liabilities related to the election campaign.

The audited participants spent a total of BGN 7.2 million on the election campaign. Of this, BGN 5.9 million were actual expenditures, and BGN 1.3 million represented the total value of received non-cash assets or donations.

Details from the audit by the National Audit Office and the identified violations can be read here.

A few days ago, the audit institution also announced that fines exceeding BGN 216,000 had been imposed under the Public Procurement Act and the Election Code during the first seven months of the year. Among the violators are the mayors of five municipalities, the heads of three government agencies, and one parliamentary-represented coalition of parties.