New law changes way parties get state aid

The House on Thursday passed a law changing the way in which political parties receive state aid.

The legislative proposal – sponsored by Disy, Akel, Diko and the Greens – amends the Political Parties Law.

Under the new system, state assistance will be disbursed to parties already in the House in January of each year, in five equal instalments – reflecting the five year-period between legislative elections.

The share of the grant for which each party is eligible depends on the percentage of the popular vote they garnered in the latest parliamentary elections.

For parties not already in parliament, but who gain a seat in the parliamentary elections, they may apply for their share of state assistance in the month following the elections. The amount disbursed in these cases will correspond to the time period from the month following the elections until the end of the year in question.

The issue surfaced after the May 2021 parliamentary elections, with political parties squabbling over how state aid should be redistributed to reflect the results of that ballot.

The election outcome would have required some parties – most notably Solidarity, the Citizens Alliance and Diko – to give some of the money back, the lion’s share of which would be shared among Elam, new arrival Dipa and Edek.

Newcomers to the House also argued that parties failing to win a seat in the House should pay it back to the state, as should those which were allowed less money due to their decline in the elections.