Only five of the seven candidates in last October’s presidential election told the Court how they financed their election campaign. Beer party boss Dominik Wlazny and entrepreneur Heinrich Staudinger have not reported anything so far, according to the Court of Audit. However, they are not threatened with sanctions.
In fact, donations, sponsorships and contributions from political parties should have been reported three months after Election Day, ie before January 9.
Less strict rules than parties
However, the transparency rules for presidential candidates are significantly less strict than for political parties. The parties must submit an annual income-expense balance. Presidential candidates, on the other hand, are only required to disclose earnings received during the election campaign. This includes donations, sponsorships, advertisements and, in particular, support from political parties. Large donors (more than 3500 euros) and large sponsorships from 12,000 euros are published by name. The candidates do not have to disclose what they have used the money for.
On Thursday, the Court received the lists of Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen, his FPÖ challenger Walter Rosenkranz, lawyer Tassilo Wallentin, ex-BZÖ politician Gerald Grosz and Michael Brunner of the vaccine skeptic party MFG.
Van der Bellen had a budget of 2.1 million euros
The first figures are already known for at least three candidates. As required by law, Van der Bellen, Rosenkranz and Wallentin have already published their main donations before the election. For example, Rosenkranz received 2.2 million euros from the FPÖ, Wallentin 148,000 euros from multimillionaire Frank Stronach and Van der Bellen 1.5 million euros from the Greens. Including 600,000 euros in private donations, Van der Bellen was a week away from the elections with an income of 2.1 million euros.
It will be a while before the donation lists are published. The Court must first check the lists for numerical correctness. If the Court has to ask the candidates or their committees of persons, publication will take longer. There are no real controls. There are also no sanctions for failure to report, according to the Court.
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
