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19 political parties owe funds to state-run mass media for broadcast time and column inches provided to them during the elections campaign, head of the Central Elections Commission Alexander Veshnyakov told journalists. Veshnyakov stressed that mass media could sue these political parties to secure debt repayment.
Duma elections were held on December 7, 2003, he stressed. “The parties that failed to reach the 2-percent threshold during the elections had enough time to repay their debt,” he emphasized.
According to data provided by the Central Elections Commission, the overall debt to mass media amounts to RUR620m (about USD22.14m). Political parties owe RUR530m (about USD18.9m) of that amount to federal mass media. Debt to regional media amounts to RUR90m (about USD3.24m). According to Veshnyakov, the Russian Party of Life and the SLON party are voluntary paying their debts for the broadcast time and column inches. All other parties show no activities in settling their debts, he stressed. If they fail to settle their debts, they will not be entitled to get free broadcast time and column inches during the upcoming Duma elections, Veshnyakov emphasized.
About RUR80m (about USD2.85m) in federal budget funds were allocated for the recent Duma elections in 2003 and the presidential elections held on March 14, 2003. The Russian Audit Chamber has disclosed no major violations in spending funds for elections after holding corresponding investigations.
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RUSSIA IN FACTS
