National Coalition Party and SDP do not plan to disclose their election supporters just yet
NCP party secretary: Centre Party not suitable to dictate rules of the game
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The National Coalition Party and the Social Democratic Party do not plan on disclosing their financial supporters in the 2007 Parliamentary elections just yet. Instead the parties have decided to wait until the committee set up to deliberate the openness of election campaigns has finished its work.
Centre Party chairman and Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen told Helsingin Sanomat on Saturday evening that the Centre Party would make public all the election donations exceeding EUR 5,000 given to the party or its affiliated associations.
The Centre Party will organise a press conference on the matter today.
According to the National Coalition's party secretary Taru Tujunen, the party adheres to the present legislation and has no need to hit any emergency brakes, unlike the Centre Party, which was caught by surprise by the sudden election funding stir.
“I do not see why we should, at this point, start playing by the rules set by the Centre Party. The rules are dictated by legislation, which is currently being renewed”, says Tujunen.
The SDP party secretary Ari Korhonen also prefers to wait for the upcoming amendment. Korhonen believes that by the decision to go public about its election funding, the Centre Party merely aims to redirect attention and pressure away from itself to other parties.
“With regard to this matter each party acts independently”, Korhonen states.
The Left Alliance party leaders will discuss the possible publicising of the party’s election funding today, Monday.
“Naturally the situation will be evaluated. Although I am under the impression that the party has not even received such large donations”, says Left Alliance party secretary Sirpa Puhakka.
The Green League has already previously publicised on its Internet pages the party’s campaign budgets from 2005 onwards. Also donations received by the Christian Democrats have been made public in recent years, says party secretary Sari Essayah.
The election funding stir that started in the spring of last year resurfaced again last week, when it emerged that the real estate broker Nova Group had supported the Centre Party fund-raising association Menestyvä Suomi to the tune of nearly EUR 125,000 prior to the 2007 Parliamentary elections.
Previously it has already become evident that the same firm had contributed about EUR 145,000 to another association, Kehittyvien Maakuntien Suomi (KMS).
More on this subject:
 Vanhanen expects detailed report from Centre Party secretary on 2007 election funding
Centre Party to disclose donations of over EUR 5,000
Helsingin Sanomat
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