~ NA, DP yet to comply ~
PHILIPSBURG--Only the United People’s (UP) party has complied with the Electoral Council’s request to submit proper proof of refund of excess donations. The Council has requested “on several occasions” that the Democratic Party (DP) and National Alliance (NA) submit proof of refund of excess donations.
The excess donations to the parties were noticed by the Council when it reviewed the political parties’ donation registrations. Several amounts exceeded the legally allowed amount of donations. Donors who exceeded the donation limit and parties that received them were informed by the Council about this matter in June.
Three parties were requested to return excess donations as stipulated by law and to submit to the Electoral Council evidence of the return.
As with the excess donation refunds, UP was the only political party to submit to the Electoral Council a complete annual report with an accompanying auditor’s statement before the deadline of April 1, 2014.
All six parties that registered and contested the 2014 Parliamentary Elections were required by law to submit an annual report accompanied by an auditor’s statement.
NA and DP requested an extension to submit the auditor’s statement regarding their financial reports, said the Electoral Council.
“Despite several reminders, the auditor’s statements from the DP and the NA have yet to be received by the Electoral Council,” the Council said Tuesday.
The Electoral Council has submitted the annual reports and the donation registrations of all political parties and those of the candidates to the General Audit Chamber for review and audit as stipulated in the National Ordinance on Registration and Finances of Political Parties.
In view of the upcoming snap election, the Electoral Council urged all parties to finalise all outstanding matters of the last parliamentary election before participating in the upcoming one.
