22. Is there a limit on in-kind donations to candidates?

Source: Article 282, Law No. 6167/2018.

Art. 282. 

En la recaudación de fondos destinados a la campaña electoral le está absolutamente prohibido a los partidos, movimientos políticos, alianzas y concertaciones:

a) recibir contribuciones o donaciones de cualquier oficina de la administración pública, de entes descentralizados autónomos o autárquicos, de empresas de economía mixta, entidades binacionales, así como de empresas que sean concesionarias de obras o servicios públicos, o exploten juegos de azar;

b) recibir aporte de gobiernos, entidades públicas o personas físicas o jurídicas extranjeras, salvo que tratándose de personas físicas o jurídicas las mismas fijen residencia o domicilio en el país;

c) recibir aporte de sindicatos, asociaciones empresariales o entidades representativas de cualquier otro sector económico;

d) recibir contribuciones o donaciones anónimas, salvo aquellas que surjan de actividades proselitistas lícitas de carácter masivo y naturaleza eventual que desarrolle el partido político, con el fin de obtener ingresos para el financiamiento de campañas electorales, siempre que los montos obtenidos no superen en una misma campaña electoral al equivalente a diez mil jornales mínimos para actividades diversas no especificadas;

e) recibir contribuciones o donaciones individuales superiores al equivalente a diez mil jornales mínimos para actividades diversas no especificadas, ya sea de personas físicas o jurídicas; y,

f) recibir contribuciones o donaciones de personas comprendidas en las disposiciones contenidas en el artículo 68, inciso g) de la presente ley. En este caso, los funcionarios o electores, que tengan conocimiento del hecho deberán comunicar inmediatamente el mismo al Ministerio Público para su investigación.

Estas mismas prohibiciones regirán para los candidatos y movimientos internos de las organizaciones políticas."

Source: Article 282, Law No. 6167/2018.

Art. 282.

In fundraising for electoral campaigns, political parties, movements, alliances, and coalitions are absolutely prohibited from:

a) receiving contributions or donations from any public administration office, autonomous or self-governing decentralized entities, mixed-economy companies, binational entities, as well as companies that are concessionaires of public works or services, or that operate gambling establishments;

b) receiving contributions from foreign governments, public entities, or individuals or legal entities, unless, in the case of individuals or legal entities, they establish residence or domicile in the country;

c) receiving contributions from unions, business associations, or representative entities of any other economic sector;

d) to receive anonymous contributions or donations, except those arising from lawful, mass, and occasional proselytizing activities carried out by the political party to obtain income for financing electoral campaigns, provided that the amounts obtained in a single electoral campaign do not exceed the equivalent of ten thousand minimum daily wages for unspecified miscellaneous activities;

e) to receive individual contributions or donations exceeding the equivalent of ten thousand minimum daily wages for unspecified miscellaneous activities, whether from natural or legal persons; and,

f) to receive contributions or donations from persons covered by the provisions contained in Article 68, paragraph g) of this law. In this case, officials or voters who become aware of the fact must immediately report it to the Public Prosecutor's Office for investigation.

These same prohibitions shall apply to candidates and internal movements within political organizations.

-In-kind donations to candidates are subject to the same limits as those for political parties.

-Article 282 sets a ceiling of 10,000 minimum daily wages on individual “contributions or donations” for campaigns, but does not explicitly refer to in-kind donations. Article 68 clarifies that party contributions may be monetary or non-monetary, and the TSJE’s reporting manuals treat donations in goods and services as falling under the same cap, requiring that they be valued and declared for candidates as well.