BRATISLAVA, September 13, (WEBNOVINY) — Members of the working group preparing the new election code have not agreed upon dividing Slovakia into more constituencies. Neither did the committee find a consensus upon merging several elections into one. At least one essential change was reached: from 2013 all candidates or political parties in all elections will be voted for by drawing a circle around the number before their name. Currently, in some elections, circles are used; in others candidates are selected with putting a cross to their name. “The new election code should bring simplification, comprehensiveness and transparency of financing the election campaigns,” informed Interior Ministry State Secretary Maros Zilinka at this Tuesday’s press conference where the proposed new code was introduced.
According to Zilinka, the ministry decided to change the code as currently the elections are regulated by five different laws with different rules which might confuse the voters. The new code will unify the rules for all elections, make the election simpler and will also tighten supervision upon financing election campaigns. For the first time the code introduces a definition of election campaign which will, according to the proposal, last from announcing the election until a day before it takes place. A moratorium on campaigning will only be effective on the day of the election. The code does not impose limits upon the campaign’s character and neither on amount of funds that can be used.
New rules for financing the campaign based upon records, monitoring and sanctions are also to be introduced. Political parties will be obliged to finance the campaign from one bank account to which it will only be possible to transfer funds from other accounts so that their origin will be traceable. Parties will have to keep records on usage of funds, services, gifts and other means of supporting the campaign. They will also have to inform in advance how much they want to spend for the campaign and after it is over on how much money they really used. A new professional Central Election Commission is to be established which will be allowed to levy fines for violations of up to 100,000 euros.
The Interior Ministry plans to submit the draft to the Cabinet before the end of the year.
SITA