The Court of Audit carried out regularity audits of financing the election campaigns for the election of deputies to the National Assembly in 2022 and expressed an unqualified opinion on the regularity of operations and regularity of reporting in line with the Election and Referendum Campaign Act to 7 organisers of the election campaigns and a qualified opinion to 4 organisers of the election campaigns. On the basis of the implemented audits the organisers of the election campaigns are entitled to partial cost-reimbursement in the total amount of EUR 324 thousand. Due to irregularities disclosed in the audit the organisers of the election campaigns had to transfer the amount of EUR 14 thousand for humanitarian purposes.
In accordance with Article 29 of Election and Referendum Campaign Act the Court of Audit must implement an audit within 6 months after the deadline for closing electoral account at the organisers of the election campaigns who are entitled to partial cost-reimbursement. The Court of Audit can implement audits at the organisers of the election campaigns for referendums at the State and local level and at the organisers of the election campaigns for the election of the representative and individually elected bodies of the local community.
The regularity audits of financing the election campaigns for the election of deputies to the National Assembly in 2022 included 11 organisers of the election campaigns, namely the candidate lists of the political parties: gibanje Povežimo Slovenijo, Levica, Lista Marjana Šarca, Nova Slovenija – Krščanski demokrati, Državljansko gibanje Resni.ca, Stranka Alenke Bratušek, Socialni demokrati, Slovenska demokratska stranka, Gibanje SVOBODA and 2 representatives of the national minorities: Ferenc Horváth and Felice Žiža. The regularity audits of financing the election campaigns for the election of deputies to the National Assembly in 2018 included 15 organisers of the election campaigns. The Court of Audit reviewed the amounts of collected and spent funds for the election campaigns, compliance with Election and Referendum Campaign Act and accuracy of data presented in the election campaign reports.
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Organisers of the election campaigns spent in total EUR 3,368,602. The established amount of the irregularities and errors totalled EUR 333,187 and refers to:
- 10 organisers paid costs from electoral account in the total amount of EUR 100 thousand which cannot be considered costs of the election campaign;
- 8 organisers received unauthorised monetary contributions in the total amount of EUR 15 thousand;
- 5 organisers paid costs of the election campaign in the total amount of EUR 83 thousand from wrong account;
- 4 organisers received prohibited services from municipalities for free;
- 3 organisers did not pay all costs of the election campaigns from electoral account in the amount of EUR 40 thousand;
- • 1 organiser presented implemented services which were undervalued.
Due to findings related to prohibited contributions for election campaigns 7 organisers of the election campaigns had to transfer in total EUR 13,826 for humanitarian purposes, 1 organiser must do so as part of the corrective measure.
The Court of Audit established that the costs of the election campaigns for the election of deputies to the National Assembly in 2022 increased by 37% compared to the costs of the election campaigns for the election of deputies to the National Assembly in 2018 which amounted to EUR 2,445,313. The average cost of the election campaign per party increased from EUR 222,301 in 2018 to EUR 374,088 in 2022, i.e. for more than 68%. The undertaken audits show that in 2022 the election campaigns for the majority of candidate lists were more extensive. The upper cost limit for the election campaign amounted to EUR 679,773 in 2022, whereby the costs of election campaigns of 4 organisers exceeded 80% of that sum. Established irregularities from both election campaign audits are comparable: organisers paid costs of the election campaigns from electoral account which were not listed among the costs of the election campaigns and failed to collect all funds on electoral account.
A partial cost-reimbursement of the election campaign for 2022 exceeded for 54% a partial cost-reimbursement allocated to the organisers in 2018, mainly due to increased voter participation and higher number of valid ballots.
On the basis of the collected evidence the Court of Audit informed the Inspectorate of the Republic of Slovenia authorised for internal affairs, the Media Inspectorate and the Market Inspectorate about detected suspicion of an offence committed and the General Police Directorate about a suspicion of a criminal offence committed.