The transparency of party funding is considered a priority by the MPs. Each of the parties must make public their costs, incomes, sponsorships and donations. Debates on the subject were staged by Promo-LEX Association and the Stefan Batory Foundation of Poland on September 15, IPN reports.

Communist MP Igor Vremea said the problem of party financing has existed for many years, but becomes acute in the election period. If the parties do not show political will to obey the law, the impact of the legislation regulating this area will not have the projected impact.

Liberal-Democratic MP George Mocanu said the problem of party funding derives from the absence of a platform for registering the party members who pay dues. Another problem is the value of donations that now can reach 2 million lei. This figure should be capped. The donors are often are rewarded with posts and contracts for the money they offer to parties. “We must intervene and diminish the impact of the money provided to parties for taking particular decisions,” he stated.

Democratic lawmaker Sergiu Sarbu noted that for the law to be obeyed, the mentality of the party leaders must be changed. They should understand that by ensuring transparency they earn the people’s respect. Transparency in parties must start from the publication of the lowest costs, from those related to service transport to those related to concerts,” he said.

Liberal MP Valeriu Munteanu said that transparency in parties is very important for determining where the money goes. In the period before the 2010 elections, the people in Moldova received bags with rice, pasta and other products with the symbols of the parliamentary parties, but the financial reports of these parties didn’t indicate financial resources for such expenses.

The bill on party financing was passed by Parliament in the first reading. It provides that the political parties should open a special bank account entitled Electoral Fund and transfer all the contributions made to them, including donations and dues, to this account. A private individual can donate at most 20 average official monthly salaries, while a legal entity – at most 40 salaries. The annual incomes of a party from dues and donations must not exceed 0.25% of the state budget incomes planned for the given year.