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Political Finance Database

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Lithuania

2016

Bans and limits on private income

Public funding

Regulations of spending

Reporting, oversight and sanctions

Question	Value
1. Is there a ban on donations from foreign interests to political parties?	Code Yes Comment Members of other EU member states are in some cases allowed to make donations.
2. Is there a ban on donations from foreign interests to candidates?	Code Yes Comment Citizens of other EU member states are sometimes allowed to make donations to candidates.
3. Is there a ban on corporate donations to political parties?	Code Yes Comment Donations from legal entities was banned through law No.XI-1777 of December 2011
4. Is there a ban on corporate donations to candidates?	Code Yes Comment Donations from legal entities was banned through law No.XI-1777 of December 2011. The amended law makes clear that only natural persons are allowed to donate.
5. Is there a ban on donations from Trade Unions to political parties?	Code Yes
6. Is there a ban on donations from Trade Unions to candidates?	Code Yes
7. Is there a ban on anonymous donations to political parties?	Code Yes
8. Is there a ban on anonymous donations to candidates?	Code Yes
9. Is there a ban on donations from corporations with government contracts to political parties?	Code Yes Source p. 10: 'With respect to the first part of the recommendation, the authorities now report that the PF Law has been further amended to prohibit the funding of political parties and election campaigns by legal persons. According to the amendments, which came into force on 1 January 2012,7 section 7 of the PF Law includes an exhaustive list of permitted funding sources which excludes contributions by legal persons'. (Source: GRECO (2013) Third Evaluation Round, Second Compliance Report on Lithuania ?Incriminations (ETS 173 and 191, GPC 2)? and ?Transparency of Party Funding?)
10. Is there a ban on donations from corporations with government contracts to candidates?	Code Yes Source p. 10: 'With respect to the first part of the recommendation, the authorities now report that the PF Law has been further amended to prohibit the funding of political parties and election campaigns by legal persons. According to the amendments, which came into force on 1 January 2012,7 section 7 of the PF Law includes an exhaustive list of permitted funding sources which excludes contributions by legal persons'. (Source: GRECO (2013) Third Evaluation Round, Second Compliance Report on Lithuania ?Incriminations (ETS 173 and 191, GPC 2)? and ?Transparency of Party Funding?)
11. Is there a ban on donations from corporations with partial government ownership to political parties?	Code Yes Source p. 10: 'With respect to the first part of the recommendation, the authorities now report that the PF Law has been further amended to prohibit the funding of political parties and election campaigns by legal persons. According to the amendments, which came into force on 1 January 2012,7 section 7 of the PF Law includes an exhaustive list of permitted funding sources which excludes contributions by legal persons'. (Source: GRECO (2013) Third Evaluation Round, Second Compliance Report on Lithuania ?Incriminations (ETS 173 and 191, GPC 2)? and ?Transparency of Party Funding?)
12. Is there a ban on donations from corporations with partial government ownership to candidates?	Code Yes Source p. 10: 'With respect to the first part of the recommendation, the authorities now report that the PF Law has been further amended to prohibit the funding of political parties and election campaigns by legal persons. According to the amendments, which came into force on 1 January 2012,7 section 7 of the PF Law includes an exhaustive list of permitted funding sources which excludes contributions by legal persons'. (Source: GRECO (2013) Third Evaluation Round, Second Compliance Report on Lithuania ?Incriminations (ETS 173 and 191, GPC 2)? and ?Transparency of Party Funding?)
13. Is there a ban on the use of state resources in favour or against a political party or candidate?	Code Yes Comment It is prohibited to use appropriations from the national budget for purposes other than those laid down in the law.
14. Is there a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a political party during a non-election specific period?	Code Yes, for natural persons Source Art. 10 2?: 'One natural person, referred to in Article 12 of this Law, may, during a political campaign, donate for each independent political campaign participant a donation which does not exceed the amount of 10 average monthly earnings valid in the fourth quarter of the previous calendar year (hereinafter referred to as the ?AMEs?). In order to fund his own political campaign a candidate in a single-member constituency and a referendum initiator may donate a donation which does not exceed the amount of 20 AMEs. During a calendar year the total amount of donations by one natural person for independent political campaign participants may not exceed 10 per cent of the amount of the annual income declared by the natural person for the previous calendar year.' (Source: Law on funding of, and control over funding of, political parties and political campaigns (23rd August 2004/amended 6th of December 2011))
15. If there is a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a political party during a non-election specific period, what is the limit?	Code During a calendar year the total amount of donations by one natural person for independent political campaign participants may not exceed 10 per cent of the amount of the annual income declared by the natural person for the previous calendar year
16. Is there a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a political party during an election?
17. If there is a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a political party during an election, what is the limit?	Code 10 average monthly earnings
18. Is there a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a candidate?	Code Yes, for both natural and legal persons Source '1. One natural person, referred to in Article 12 of this Law may, during a calendar year, donate for one political party a donation not exceeding 300 minimum living standards. If a political campaign takes place the same year, a natural person may donate to one independent participant of political campaign during this political campaign a donation not exceeding 300 minimum living standards. If one natural person has donated to a political campaign participant (participants) during one political campaign more than 10 per cent of the revenue received during the last year, such donor and his donation (donations) must be declared in the opinion of the State Tax Inspectorate under the Ministry of Finance (hereinafter referred to as the State Tax Inspectorate).' (Article 10, 1?)'4. One legal person, referred to in Article 12 of this Law, may, during a financial year, donate for one political party a donation in the amount not exceeding 300 minimum living standards. If during the same year a political campaign takes place, a legal person may donate to one independent participant of political campaign during this political campaign a donation in the amount not exceeding 300 minimum living standards.' (Article 10, 4?) (Source: Law on Funding of Political Parties and Political Campaigns and Control of Funding, 2004)
19. If there is a limit on the amount a donor can contribute to a candidate, what is the limit?	Code Limit is 300 minimum living standards from the same individual donor
20. Is there a limit on the amount a candidate can contribute to their own election campaign?
21. Is there a limit on in-kind donations to political parties?
22. Is there a limit on in-kind donations to candidates?
23. Is there a ban on political parties engaging in commercial activities?
24. Is there a ban on political parties taking loans in relation to election campaigns?
25. Is there a ban on candidates taking loans in relation to election campaigns?
26. Is there a ban on donors to political parties/candidates participating in public tender/procurement processes?
27. Are there provisions requiring donations to go through the banking system?

Question	Value
28. Are there provisions for direct public funding to political parties?	Code Yes, both regularly and in relation to campaigns
29. What are the eligibility criteria for political parties to receive public funding?	Code Share of votes in previous election Share of votes in next election Comment Ongoing funding provided to parties that received at least 3% of the votes in the last election. Campaign funding provided as reimbursement to parties that receive at least 3% of the votes in the election in question.
30. What is the allocation calculation for political parties to receive public funding?	Code Proportional to votes received Comment Proportional to votes received in preceding election.
31. What are the provisions on 'ear marking' direct public funding to political parties (how it should be used)?	Code Campaign spending Ongoing party activities
32. Are there provisions for free or subsidized access to media for political parties?	Code Yes
33. What criteria determine allocation for free or subsidized access to media for political parties?	Code Equal
34. Are there provisions for free or subsidized access to media for candidates?	Code Yes
35. Are there provisions for any other form of indirect public funding?	Code Yes Comment State and municipal property may be provided to political parties in accordance with established criteria.
36. Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties tied to gender equality among candidates?	Code No
37. Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties?	Code No

Question	Value
38. Is there a ban on vote buying?	Code Yes
39. Are there limits on the amount a political party can spend?	Code Yes Comment In relation to election campaigns
40. If there are limits on the amount a political party can spend, what is the limit?	Code The political party election spending limit is fixed annually and calculated based on the registered number of voters. For parliamentary elections in 2007, the maximum amount in a single-member constituency was on average 75,197 Litas [I$ 45,000].
41. Are there limits on the amount a candidate can spend?	Code Yes
42. If there are limits on the amount a candidate can spend, what is the limit?	Code The limit is fixed annually and based on the number of registered voters. In 2007, for parliamentary elections, the average limit in a single-member constituency was EUR 21,800 [I$ 13,000].
43. Are there limits on the amount that third parties can spend on election campaign activities?
44. Are there limits on traditional media advertising spending in relation to election campaigns?
45. Are there limits on online media advertising spending in relation to election campaigns?
46. Do any other restrictions on online media advertisement (beyond limits) exist?

Question	Value
47. Do political parties have to report regularly on their finances?	Code Yes
48. Do political parties have to report on their election campaign finances?	Code No Comment Political candidates, not parties, report on election finances
49. Do candidates have to report on their election campaign finances?	Code Yes
50. Do third parties have to report on election campaign finances?
51. Is information in reports from political parties and/or candidates to be made public?	Code Yes
52. Must reports from political parties and/or candidates reveal the identity of donors?	Code Yes
53. Must reports from political parties and/or candidates include information on itemized income?
54. Must reports from political parties and/or candidates include information on itemized spending?
55. Which institution(s) receives financial reports from political parties and/or candidates?	Code EMB Other Comment Central Electoral Commission and State Tax Inspectorate.
56. Which institution(s) is responsible for examining financial reports and/or investigating violations?	Code EMB Court Other Comment State Tax Inspectorate. Public prosecutor. Law enforcement institutions. Election Campaign Monitoring Bodies. Other state authorities.
57. What power is granted to the institution(s) responsible for examining reports and/or investigating violations?
58. What sanctions are provided for political finance infractions?	Code Fines Prison Loss of public funding Deregistration of party Loss of political rights Suspension of political party Other Comment Detention, deprivation of the right to work in a certain job or perform certain activities, restriction of liberty, warning, temporarily suspend/exclude the powers of the members of the political party's governing bodies.

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