Election 2014 – Fidesz campaign spending above legal cap, says Transparency

(MTI) – Campaign spending by the ruling Fidesz and Christian Democrat parties and their backers has topped the legal limit, a Transparency International (TI) official said on Monday.

Parties are legally allowed to spend a maximum of 1 billion forints (EUR 3.2m) to finance their campaigns for the April 6 general election, TI’s legal director, Miklos Ligeti, told a press conference.

By the end of February, the co-ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrats already spent more than twice that amount with the help of the central government and the pro-government Civil Unity Forum (COF), he said. The left-of-centre Unity alliance, in comparison, has spent 680 million forints, radical nationalist Jobbik 650 million and also opposition LMP 310 million, he added.

Transparency calculated that COF’s election campaign has cost 570 million forints and the central government’s campaign “Hungary is doing better” has cost another 540 million, he said.

Photo: valasztas2014.hir24.hu

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters