Loopholes in law on local elections raise concerns of misuse of finance

Analysts working for the Institute of Public Affairs (ISP) sent a letter to President Kwasniewski, in which they claim that the local government electoral law could lead to corruption and have called for it to be amended. "The point is that the law does not limit the amount of money that an individual can donate to a political party," said ISP director Lena Kolarska-Bobinska. Analysts warn that individuals may laundry money in this way. The law, in its present form, allows parties to serve free alcoholic drinks during the election campaign. The amendments suggested tighter control over financing campaigns and for appointing party representatives who would be responsible for financial operations. "The same amendments were introduced into the presidential and parliamentary electoral laws," claimed one of the authors of the amendment, Marcin Walecki. (Zycie, p. 4; Gazeta Wyborcza, pp. 1, 6) M.M.