Election funding to be released by May 8

The Elections Commission said Wednesday it would release funds owed to political parties within the allotted time period.

The commission will request the finance ministry to distribute funds next month, said EC member Ahmed Akram.

The Political Parties Act requires the EC to distribute some 0.2 percent of the annual state budget within the first three months of the year.

But weekends are not taken into account, meaning the deadline for fund distribution could be calculated as May 8.

Last year the commission delayed funding, citing what it called a leadership vacuum in some parties and mismanagement in others.

The joint opposition criticized the funding delay, issuing a press statement to air their complaints.

“The Elections Commission has not given the funding to political parties, despite the Political Parties Act stipulating that the aid should be given to parties within the first three months of the year. We note that the Elections Commission has not worked to provide equal opportunities to political parties at a time when the government continues to obstruct the work of political parties.”

The opposition is also boycotting the EC’s invitation for a “monitoring and regulation” meeting after questioning its purpose, saying parties were monitored by the law and did not need to be supervised.