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Finns Want All Parties to Reveal Donations
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The vast majority of people in Finland think political parties should reveal their donor lists, according to a poll by Taloustutkimus published by Iltalehti. 82 per cent of respondents say the National Rally (KOK) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) should disclose all donations over €5,000 made to their groups.
Matti Vanhanen—leader of the Finnish Centre Party (KESK)—has been Finland’s prime minister since June 2003, after the resignation of Anneli Jaatteenmaki. In March 2007, Finnish voters renewed the Diet. Vanhanen formed a new coalition administration, encompassing the KESK, the conservative KOK, the Swedish People’s Party (RKP), and the environmentalist Green League (VIHR).
In May 2008, KESK parliamentary leader Timo Kalli acknowledged in a televised interview that he failed to disclose a list of donors to his campaign because he knew he would not be penalized for it. Another 26 lawmakers admitted to have acted in the same fashion, prompting calls for new legislation on campaign financing.
This year, the KESK has made public all of its donations exceeding the €5,000 mark
from 2006 to 2009. The party has urged other groups to follow suit.
On Jul. 20, Vanhanen renewed calls for parties to be open about their finances, saying, "I expect donations of more than five thousand euros will be disclosed by other parties. I believe that they are also completely legal donations, so why are they not brought forward?"
Polling Data
Do you think the National Rally (KOK) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP) should disclose all donations exceeding 5,000 euros they received from 2006 to 2009?
|
Yes |
82% |
|
No |
10% |
Source: Taloustutkimus / Iltalehti
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,400 Finns, conducted in July 2009. Margin of error is 3 per cent.