Majority of political contributions by enterprises go to male candidates and large political parties

In election budgets, a female MP's euro is worth just 86 cents

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According to some experts, it is easier for male candidates than it is for women to get money for their election campaigns from entrepreneurs and various interest groups. As to election budgets, a female Member of Parliament’s euro is worth just 86 cents. Companies also discriminate against small political parties and candidates coming from remote districts.
      While the election campaign funding provided by enterprises is concentrated particularly in the hands of large parties, male candidates, and in specific regions, the growing campaign budgets are likely to endanger the equality and democracy of elections, says professor Jan Sundberg from the University of Helsinki.
     
This phenomenon could be seen even in the previous parliamentary elections in the spring of 2007, when the MPs of the National Coalition Party and the Centre Party had larger campaign budgets compared with other MPs.
      While a MP of these two parties had spent more than EUR 48,000 on average for campaigning, the MPs of the Christian Democratic Party and the True Finns had had to manage with a sum half this size.
      On average, the election campaign budgets of male candidates were more than EUR 5,000 larger than those of female candidates, while the campaign finances used by a female MP were some 14 % lower than those spent by a male MP.
      The total expenditure of those male candidates who got elected was EUR 40,916 on average, while the total costs of elected female candidates averaged out to EUR 35,340.
     
The growing campaign financing by enterprises has been explained by saying that without external financing, only the very rich would have a chance of being elected to Parliament.
      However, Sami Borg, a researcher at the University of Tampere, also confirms that the election campaign money is concentrated in the hands of the most influential candidates.
      In comparison, a master’s thesis by Jenny Broberg, M.Sc. (Pol. Sci.), indicated even five years ago that the largest election campaign budgets were found among the candidates of the Centre Party and the National Coalition Party.
      In 2003, the total amount spent by male candidates was an average of EUR 6,000 higher than that among female candidates.
      On average, the MPs in the previous parliamentary period had also had a campaign budget around EUR 3,000 higher than had the new MPs.
     
In spite of the fact that the election campaign budgets of female candidates were smaller than those of men, the amount of their own money used for campaigning was higher than that used by men.
      The largest difference noted between men and women was among the candidates of the Swedish Peoples’ Party.
      As a whole, the male MPs reported having received an average of more than EUR 10,000 from companies, while the average amount of political donations the women had received was less than EUR 5,000. The biggest donations by businesses were received by the male MPs of the National Coalition Party and the Swedish Peoples’ Party.
     
Apart from men, large political parties, and MPs, another major player to benefit from the game is the media, through advertising, notes researcher Sami Borg.
      Borg calls for creating a large election portal on the Internet in order that a voter could easily check the programmes of various political parties and the views of candidates, as well as the election campaign funding of each candidate.
      Jan Sundberg also believes that instead of punishments, the most important thing regarding election campaign funding would be the requirement of absolute openness.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Election financiers (18.5.2008)
  Centre Party MP´s comments spark campaign finance row (15.5.2008)
  Prime Minister warns of political crisis stemming from election campaign money affair (21.5.2008)
  Business organisations rarely give companies guidance on political contributions (19.5.2008)

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