Luanda — Political parties and coalitions of parties competing for the general elections on 24 August each received from the State a financial endowment estimated at more than 1billion kwanzas.
It is precisely 1.112 billion allocated to the parties to fund the expenses of the 30-day election campaign, due to starts on Friday (22) in Angola and abroad.
Competing for the 2022 electoral race are MPLA, UNITA, PRS, FNLA, APN, PHA, P-NJANGO and CASA-CE.
In addition to the amount allocated by the State, the contending political parties may resort to other private funding, in accordance with the Law on Political Parties, which aims to ensure a more balanced participation in the political and electoral processes.
Decree no. 10/12, of 22 March, states that political parties or coalitions can benefit from funding from the State, private individuals and legal entities, stressing that funding must be in the form of donations, contributions, subsidies, legacies and donations.
The law establishes that political parties and coalitions may benefit from funding intended solely to support the pursuit of their corporate purpose.
It indicates that the sources of funding for the activities of political parties and coalitions include membership fees and contributions, income from assets, own activities, donations and legacies of natural and legal persons.
They can also benefit from internal bank credits, products from fundraising activities, annual subsidies and other contributions attributed to political parties by the State.
Political parties and coalitions are allowed to receive contributions of pecuniary and economic value from natural or legal persons.
To this end, the General State Budget (OGE) includes an annual allocation to finance political parties with seats in the National Assembly, to be distributed according to the number of votes obtained in the last general elections.
It also establishes that the OGE must include, in each election year, an allocation to finance, equally, all political parties and coalitions of parties, legally constituted.
The amount of the budget allocation is calculated based on the value of 1000 kwanzas per vote, applied to the number of votes obtained in the general elections, by the political party or coalition of political parties with a seat in Parliament.
It is subject to periodic review, when the OGE is approved in an election year.
The aforementioned funding does not affect the funding for the electoral campaign, allocated to political parties and coalitions, after the candidacies have been approved by the Constitutional Court.
However, political parties cannot receive, on any account, contributions of pecuniary and economic value from autonomous State bodies, local State bodies, public law associations, public institutes and legal entities of Public Utility.
They cannot also receive contributions from public companies, as well as from foreign governments and non-governmental organisations.
The legal norm indicates that the managing boards of political parties and coalitions of political parties must prepare annual reports of accountability, in which they must justify the use of the funds received from the State.
On the other hand, the report must have the opinion of the competent statutory body and must be sent to the National Assembly Speaker by the end of the first quarter of the following year.
As for exemptions, political parties with a seat in the National Assembly are exempt from stamp duty, tax on inheritance and donations, consumption, tax on Inheritance and Gift (SIS) for the acquisition of buildings to house their headquarters, offices, services, as well as transfers resulting from a merger or spin-off.
The exemption covers property tax, the offices, services of rights and other customs impositions, in relation to the material goods destined to its services.
The Angolan State, according to the law, respects and guarantees the protection of the assets of political parties and coalitions of parties.
They include movable and immovable property, as well as acquired rights in relation to legacy assets destined for the development of its activity.
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For illicit financing, the political party is punished with a fine equivalent to twice the sums received and, in case of recurrence, triple the amount received.
Political parties and coalitions that fail to provide established public accountability are punished with the suspension of public funding and the loss of tax exemptions until due accountability is made.
The Funding Law establishes that parties and coalitions of political parties that use goods covered by benefits and exemptions, for purposes other than party service, are sanctioned with the suspension of public funding.
This is a suspension up to the limit of the amount unduly received and with the loss of tax exemptions, without prejudice to the other sanctions provided for by law.
The law warns that the misuse of budget appropriations and foreseen subsidies, for purposes other than those legally foreseen, implies civil and criminal liability on the part of political parties and coalitions of parties, as well as their representatives.
