Finances and fans

The Central Election Commission published party reports on the receipt and expenditure of funds for the fourth quarter of 2022, which makes it possible to sum up the party-financial results of the past year as a whole. As it turned out, it was not very successful for most political associations: the only exception was the parties that managed to increase the amount of state funding following the results of the 2021 parliamentary campaign.

Total in the last quarter of 2022 Russian parties were able to attract 506.5 million rubles to their accounts, four times less than they spent during the same time (expenditures amounted to 2.1 billion rubles). United Russia remains the absolute record holder in terms of earningswhich earned 354.7 million rubles, she spent the most (1.4 billion rubles). Ranked second in terms of income unexpectedly turned out to be non-parliamentary “Apple”, which earned 42 million rubles. and spent the same amount.

In general, all parliamentary parties during this period spent more than they earned. So, CPRF with an income of 12.5 million spent 336 million rubles for statutory purposes, LDPR income was 20 million, and expenditure – 96 million. “Fair Russia – For the Truth” (SRWP) in the last quarter attracted only 762 thousand rubles, but spent 161.7 million. Finally, “New people” earned 19 million, and spent 31.2 million rubles.

Such a ratio of income and expenses became possible due to the fact that in the first quarter parliamentary parties receive funding from the state following the results of elections to the State Duma (152 rubles for each vote received on party lists), and for most of them this money becomes the main source of income.

For example, total income of “United Russia” in 2022 amounted to 8.4 billion rubles, of which 4.3 billion, that is, a little more than 50%, is state financing. On the budget “New people” the share of public money was 92% (456 out of 493 million rubles), and at the Communist Party — 94% (1.6 billion rubles with a total annual budget of 1.7 billion). LDPR this figure is slightly lower – 87% (646 out of 740 million rubles in annual “earnings”). This is the highest figure at SRHR – 98% (639 out of 653 million received by the party treasury).

As a result, only the parties that increased the amount of state funding following the results of the 2021 elections and received the first such increase at the beginning of 2022 can consider last year to be prosperous in terms of income. These are the Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the SZRP, as well as the New People, who entered the Duma for the first time and, accordingly, earned state support for the first time. It was these parties that had their budgets increased, if not with the previous year 2021 (this was the year of elections to the State Duma, and it is natural that the incomes and expenses of the parties during this period were maximum), then with 2020, most of which the country spent in quarantine. For the rest of the parties, incomes fell: even United Russia in 2022 collected less than in 2020, when its “earnings” amounted to 9.6 billion rubles. Others fared even worse. For example, the income of Yabloko decreased from 215 million rubles. in 2020 to 175 million in 2022, and for the Pensioners’ Party for Social Justice – from 158 million to 30 million rubles.

Traditionally, one of the most serious items of expenditure remains maintenance of regional branches and governing bodies of the party – for these purposes, party members spent a total of 1.6 billion rubles in the fourth quarter of last year. United Russia’s own leadership costs the most – 369 million rubles, and compared to the same period in 2020 (342 million), expenses have not decreased and even slightly increased. The Communist Party of the Russian Federation, on the contrary, has cut spending on the administrative apparatus by a factor of three in two years – from 106 to 33 million rubles. The Liberal Democratic Party also saved money on the leadership (halving expenses over the same period – from 61 to 29 million rubles), but the SRZP, on the contrary, doubled spending on the party apparatus – from 35 million in 2020 to 72 million rubles. in 2022

On the other hand, United Russia has sharply reduced spending on public events: if in the last three months of 2020, despite the quarantine, the party spent almost 26 million rubles on them, then at the end of 2022 – less than 11 million. there were either no public events at all, or they were very small. However, already in 2021, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation spent 2.4 million rubles for such purposes, and SRHR – 1.3 million.

Compared to the same quarter in 2020, almost all parliamentary parties increased their propaganda spending: United Russia from 197 million to 296 million, SRZP from 21 million to 29 million, the Communist Party of the Russian Federation from 20 million to 28 million rubles.

And only the Liberal Democratic Party reduced spending on this item several times at once: from 160 million to 23 million rubles. (as previously reported by “Kommersant”in 2022 the new leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party decided to reduce the use of campaign billboards).

Political scientist Konstantin Kalachev calls the decline in party revenues natural: according to him, in the current conditions, the state budget is becoming the main source of funds for parties, since business now has a different agenda and other priorities. And the number of entrepreneurs who want to get into government is unlikely to grow now, and this is the main source of sponsorship money, the expert recalls. On the other hand, for the normal functioning of the party in the period between parliamentary campaigns, a lot of money is not needed, Mr. Kalachev adds: if the organization does not pretend to be massive, then it is possible to ensure the functioning of the apparatus and the “success story” in several regions without large-scale costs.

Anastasia Kornya