Kalli allowed to stay on as Centre Party group leader
Centre MPs call for reform of campaign contribution law
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Centre Party MP Timo Kalli, who openly declared that he had violated the law in his disclosure on election campaign spending, will be allowed to continue as chairman of his party’s Parliamentary group.
Kalli gave a thorough accounting to his group on Thursday on the intricacies of the financing of his campaign. He admitted that he had acted incautiously, and that he had made a mistake, which he regretted.
He also reported what he would do to repair the damage after the public uproar that came in the wake of the matter.
The other Centre Party Members of Parliament were satisfied with the report, noting unanimously that “Kalli enjoys full confidence” as the leader of the group.
The Centre Party also agreed on a recommendation to its parliamentarians, according to which each MP should go through his or her campaign financing and make the necessary changes to the disclosures submitted to the Ministry of Justice.
The group emphasised that each MP is personally responsible for his or her campaign spending. It also passed a statement calling for rapid reform of the law on election campaign financing.
The law needs to be more transparent, clear, and simple, said the group’s vice-chairman, Juha Rehula.
The Centre will later decide on a position on possible punishments for violators and ceilings for campaign donations at a later date.
Rehula felt that it is “rather natural” for some legal sanctions to be included in the law. However, he emphasised that financing election campaigns and accepting money for the purpose must not be made a crime.
There was no discussion at Thursday’s meeting on the issue of contributions to the campaign of Centre Party chairman, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen (Centre) by promoters of the Ideapark shopping mall project in Vihti, and statements of support for the complex by Vanhanen.
The party’s second chair, Inkeri Kerola, felt that Vanhanen cannot be considered to have a conflict of interest in the Ideapark matter, because all that is involved now are discussions, rather than actual decisions.
More on this subject:
 Members of Parliament revising campaign finance reports
Previously in HS International Edition:
Centre Party MṔs comments spark campaign finance row (15.5.2008)
Helsingin Sanomat
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