Funding becomes key issue as parties prepare for September election

Political parties preparing for the September election are allocating millions of zlotys for promoting their candidates. Election committees, which may spend no more than zl.29 million on the campaign, are permitted to raise funds from just two sources, the coffers of the party itself and private contributions. No donations may be accepted from companies or foreigners. The largest contribution a party may accept from a private donor is zl.11,370, a limit that applies to the candidates themselves. As for how much of their own money candidates use, Michal Tober, spokesman for the Democratic Left Alliance (SLD), says, "The size of the payment depends on individual capacity. We do not set any minimum sum that has to be paid." Civic Platform (PO) is planning to collect zl.500,000 in Warsaw and to spend 20% of it on the campaign of its number one candidate, Mayor of Warsaw, Pawel Piskorski. (Rzeczpospolita, p. A4) A.K.