JoeyB
12-19-2011, 11:10 PM
Finland, making us look bad...we need this sort of common sense over here in the states. Or, to bomb Finland out of existence for making us look bad. Either or.
Presidential campaigns run on tight budgets
Campaign funding controversy, threat of recession, and cuts in party support keep donations at low level
Controversies in recent years involving suspected irregularities in election campaign funding, coupled with the ongoing economic crisis, have led to a sharp decline in the campaign budgets of Finland’s presidential candidates.
“I must say that it has been difficult. We can certainly reach our goals, but we have to work hard. Large companies and listed companies no longer donate money. Now we need to tap into the smaller streams and search more”, says businessman Hjallis Harkimo, who manages the financing for the campaign of National Coalition Party candidate Sauli Niinistö.
According to the law on election campaign financing, those donating EUR 1,500 or more to a campaign are required to disclose the donation, and Harkimo says that donors tend to want to stay below the disclosure threshold.
The election campaign financing controversy did not affect the parliamentary elections in the spring, but now it has made it more difficult for presidential candidates to raise campaign money.
Centre Party secretary Timo Laaninen points out that party seminars with an attendance fee and donations have been seen by many people to be semi-criminal.
Riikka Kämppi, the campaign manager for the presidential campaign of Green League candidate Pekka Haavisto, says that a number of interest groups have said that they have decided that they will not buy tickets to seminars, and that companies are saying that they are saving money.
Political parties themselves have to cut costs because the government has cut state subsidies to parties, and because of the upcoming municipal elections, says Social Democratic Party secretary Mikael Jungner.
Ville Pitkänen, a researcher in political science at the University of Turku, says that another factor is the sharp rise in campaign spending in the early years of the new century. Pitkänen says that the economic situation has been seen in other ways than just the lack of donations.
“In the campaign launch of the 2006 presidential elections there was open discussion on the personas and images of the candidates. Now the trend has been more on issues in a situation in which there is a genuine political crisis at hand”, Pitkänen says.
The sharpest decline has been in the election budget of the Centre Party.
In 2006, EUR 2.4 million was spent on the election campaign of Centre Party candidate Matti Vanhanen.
The Centre Party is deep in debt, and the defeat that it suffered in this year’s Parliamentary elections led to a sharp decline in state party subsidies. Centre Party secretary Lanninen says that the party is spending whatever money it can raise for this year’s presidential campaign “a few hundred thousand euros”.
The most expensive campaign is that of the National Coalition Party candidate Sauli Niinistö.
No donations are being solicited by The Finns party (previously the True Finns).
“It would be silly to start collecting money from the citizens, as this is what party subsidies are for. If presidents or MPs could be made by spending money, it would be as easy as writing a letter”, says campaign manager Jukka Jusula.
Ville Pitkänen points out that The Finns’ candidate Timo Soini is in the fortunate position of getting free advertising almost every day.
“For instance, the interpellation debate brought Soini into the headlines of all newspapers.”
Also, in the previous elections, The Finns party established a reputation for having a somewhat understated and deliberately amateurish campaign.
Presidential campaigns run on tight budgets
Campaign funding controversy, threat of recession, and cuts in party support keep donations at low level
Controversies in recent years involving suspected irregularities in election campaign funding, coupled with the ongoing economic crisis, have led to a sharp decline in the campaign budgets of Finland’s presidential candidates.
“I must say that it has been difficult. We can certainly reach our goals, but we have to work hard. Large companies and listed companies no longer donate money. Now we need to tap into the smaller streams and search more”, says businessman Hjallis Harkimo, who manages the financing for the campaign of National Coalition Party candidate Sauli Niinistö.
According to the law on election campaign financing, those donating EUR 1,500 or more to a campaign are required to disclose the donation, and Harkimo says that donors tend to want to stay below the disclosure threshold.
The election campaign financing controversy did not affect the parliamentary elections in the spring, but now it has made it more difficult for presidential candidates to raise campaign money.
Centre Party secretary Timo Laaninen points out that party seminars with an attendance fee and donations have been seen by many people to be semi-criminal.
Riikka Kämppi, the campaign manager for the presidential campaign of Green League candidate Pekka Haavisto, says that a number of interest groups have said that they have decided that they will not buy tickets to seminars, and that companies are saying that they are saving money.
Political parties themselves have to cut costs because the government has cut state subsidies to parties, and because of the upcoming municipal elections, says Social Democratic Party secretary Mikael Jungner.
Ville Pitkänen, a researcher in political science at the University of Turku, says that another factor is the sharp rise in campaign spending in the early years of the new century. Pitkänen says that the economic situation has been seen in other ways than just the lack of donations.
“In the campaign launch of the 2006 presidential elections there was open discussion on the personas and images of the candidates. Now the trend has been more on issues in a situation in which there is a genuine political crisis at hand”, Pitkänen says.
The sharpest decline has been in the election budget of the Centre Party.
In 2006, EUR 2.4 million was spent on the election campaign of Centre Party candidate Matti Vanhanen.
The Centre Party is deep in debt, and the defeat that it suffered in this year’s Parliamentary elections led to a sharp decline in state party subsidies. Centre Party secretary Lanninen says that the party is spending whatever money it can raise for this year’s presidential campaign “a few hundred thousand euros”.
The most expensive campaign is that of the National Coalition Party candidate Sauli Niinistö.
No donations are being solicited by The Finns party (previously the True Finns).
“It would be silly to start collecting money from the citizens, as this is what party subsidies are for. If presidents or MPs could be made by spending money, it would be as easy as writing a letter”, says campaign manager Jukka Jusula.
Ville Pitkänen points out that The Finns’ candidate Timo Soini is in the fortunate position of getting free advertising almost every day.
“For instance, the interpellation debate brought Soini into the headlines of all newspapers.”
Also, in the previous elections, The Finns party established a reputation for having a somewhat understated and deliberately amateurish campaign.