CEC publishes party financial reports for 2022

United Russia is the only parliamentary party whose state funding is less than half of all income, follows from the final financial reports of the parties for the past year. You can also learn from them that in the LDPR leaders are valued more than regional branches, and the Social Revolutionaries spend more on party bosses than on elections.

The Central Election Commission published the financial reports of the parties for 2022. This is the first year that the parties have lived on budget funds received following the results of the elections to the State Duma held in 2021 (they receive 152 rubles for each vote received by the party list). According to the documents, state funding for most parliamentary parties is the main source of income. Thus, the budget revenues of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation amounted to 86% of all funds raised (1.6 billion out of 1.9 billion rubles). This indicator is approximately at the same level for the Liberal Democratic Party, which earned a total of 741 million rubles in a year. (87%) and “A Just Russia – for the Truth” (84% with a total budget of 755 million rubles). The highest percentage of state participation belongs to the New People: 456 million out of 495 million rubles, or 92%.

Against this background, United Russia stands out fundamentally – the only parliamentary party in which the share of state funding is below 50%. It received 4.3 billion rubles from the budget, and collected 5.1 billion rubles from donations. The total amount of funds raised by the party amounted to 9.9 billion – slightly less than last year, when it managed to accumulate 10.5 billion rubles. It is noteworthy that United Russia not only actively attracted donations, but also took out loans – a total of 216 million rubles, mostly money was lent to the party by its own support funds. Also, according to the conclusion of the CEC, the party paid off its debts in a timely manner, returning loans for almost 498 million rubles. In addition, 212 million rubles. with a small “United Russia” has collected as entrance and membership fees. The party report includes 30 party members who paid them in excess of 100,000 rubles. The record holder was Vitaly Kozhevin, adviser to the chairman of the meeting of deputies of the Nenets Autonomous Okrug, who paid contributions for 1.54 million rubles. This is a little more than last year – then Mr. Kogevin paid them for 1.4 million rubles. Then, in a similar list, he was bypassed by State Duma deputy from Astrakhan Rinat Ayupov, who gave the party 2 million rubles. As follows from the report, most often large membership fees are paid by United Russia from the NAO and the Astrakhan region.

A Kommersant source close to the leadership of United Russia explains that the party does indeed have membership fees, but they are voluntary: neither their volume nor frequency is regulated in any way. It can be 10 rubles, and 100 thousand rubles, and more, says the interlocutor of Kommersant. Another source in the party adds that, as far as he knows, the total amount of required membership fees for a given period is determined by the regional executive committees of the party (apparatuses of regional branches involved in elections and other organizational activities of the EP).

Most parties in principle refused to collect membership dues, such a tradition has been preserved only in the Communist Party of the Russian Federation: there party members pay a fixed fee – in the amount of 1% of their monthly income. Over the past year, according to the party’s report, the Communist Party collected 104 million rubles in contributions, and this is more than twice the amount of donations received by the party. At the same time, not a single contribution is larger than 100 thousand rubles. in the report of the Communist Party does not appear. Payment of membership dues is a key statutory requirement that has been in effect since 1903, since the days of the RSDLP, says member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, State Duma deputy Sergei Obukhov. And this is not a matter of funding alone – such a requirement carries a deep meaning, since it maintains the combat effectiveness of the party structure due to the fact that each member of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation supports its work every month, the communist explains.

Non-parliamentary parties that do not receive funds from the budget are far behind in terms of income – for example, Yabloko collected donations for 190 million rubles, the Party of Pensioners – 36 million, “Communists of Russia” – less than 24 million rubles, and, for example, The Russia of the Future party has only zeros in its declaration, it has not declared any income or expenses.

One of the main items of expenditure for parties is the maintenance of regional branches. United Russia spent 3.4 billion rubles for these purposes, while the maintenance of the governing bodies cost it almost three times less – 1.3 billion rubles. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation spent five times more on regional bodies than on leadership (778 million and 143 million rubles, respectively), but they saved the most on the New People party bosses: the party spent 193 million rubles on regional branches, while only 26 million rubles for management. The Socialist-Revolutionaries divided their priorities equally: 183 million rubles. went to the regions, and 185 million rubles. they spent on governing bodies. But the Liberal Democratic Party values ​​its leadership above all: the regions received 66 million rubles, while the liberal democrats spent 133 million rubles on the governing bodies. For comparison: United Russia transferred 1.3 billion rubles to the election funds, LDPR – 193 million, New People – 182 million, the Communist Party – 89 million rubles, and in last place the Socialist-Revolutionaries – only 82 million rubles.

Anastasia Kornya, Andrey Vinokurov