PM Orban says funding for political parties decreased by 30 percent

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban stated on Wednesday that the State Budget Law introduced an amendment decreasing the funding for the political parties by 30 percent.

"We don't know who gets more money, I haven't made such calculations, the most important thing is that we've decreased overall by 30 percent the funding for political parties, since we're talking about the reduction of expenditure. I don't know who gets the money. It is an amendment which has been approved in the State Budget Law, an amendment which decreased, for instance, the funding for the PSD [the Social Democratic Party]," Orban told a news conference at the Permanent Representation of Romania to the EU.

He added that he doesn't know whether Victor Ponta's party - Pro Romania gets more money as a result of this legislative modification.

Expert Forum signaled on Wednesday the fact that through this year's budget, the parties receive subsidies according to the number of MPs they have registered on 1 January 2010 and not according to the number of votes obtained, as it was stipulated by Law No.334/206 regarding the funding of political parties.

"We took note and we appreciate the fact that the maximum limits of subsidies have been reduced for the current year to 181 million lei. However, the same normative act included an amendment through which subsidies are granted according to the total number of MPs registered in each of the political parties on 1 January 2020, and not according to the number of votes obtained in local and parliamentary elections, as stipulated by Law No.334/2006 regarding the funding of political parties," shows a release of Expert Forum, which asked for the repeal of this new provision.