Romanian parties received EUR 25 mln in public funding during first half of 2022

Between January and June 2022, political parties in Romania received RON 124.89 mln (EUR 24.9 mln) in public funding. The governing Social Democrats (PSD) and the National Liberal Party (PNL), the largest parties in the country, spent roughly 74% of the funds on ads.

The center-left PSD, the largest party, received RON 48 mln from the state vault, from which it spent RON 26.8 mln on adverts in the press. The Liberals received RON 40.7 mln, and spent RON 18.2 mln in a similar fashion. The sums spent on ads represent around 74% of each party’s overall expenses, according to the Permanent Electoral Authority cited by HotNews.

All in all, PNL and PSD spent almost as much in the first 6 months of 2022 as they did during the whole previous year.

PMP, which did not pass the threshold for the Romanian Parliament during the 2020 elections but has two representatives in the European Parliament, received RON 2.5 mln (EUR 507,000). The party spent roughly a quarter of the sum on ads in the press.

The centrist reformist party USR received RON 21.9 mln (EUR 4.4 mln), directing 13,4% of it toward the press. The conservative, nationalist AUR party spent nothing from the public funds it received. Finally, the extra-parliamentary left-wing Pro Romania party, founded by former Social-Democratic leader Victor Ponta, spent almost 80% of the funds it received on lawyer fees and salaries.

Last year, political parties in Romania spent around EUR 12.7 mln on ads in the press, with PSD and PNL topping the chart with 71% and 64% respectively of their expenses.

(Photo source: Octav Ganea / Inquam Photos)