European question marks financing local parties in the Netherlands
The lack of rules regarding local party financing in the Netherlands is a thorn in the side of the Council of Europe. Too much is based on trust.
No rules
About the lack of rules about the financing of local parties in his observation mission during the Dutch municipal election in March this year. Prebilič writes that in his observation report that it is strange that there are actually no rules. Prebili against Domestic Governance: ‘The mission there was unpleasantly surprised. There are no rules about who reports and when and whether there are limits to donations.’
Transparency
In his own country Slovenia it is different. Private persons are allowed to give a maximum of 50 euros there and may not invest millions of euros in a presidential candidate, for example. The donations are entered in a register, which increases transparency. And transparency is important for a democracy. Prebilič already encountered it in Denmark. Just like in the Netherlands, it is said there that this has been happening for many years and that there is a lot of trust. Prebilič: ‘I like trust, but regulation is really absent. That really should be written down.’
Preferred treatment
Regulation of reduces the opportunity for abuse and undue influence on directors. In exchange for a generous gift, they can, for example, enforce preferential treatment from access to classified information. The House of Representatives also wants an interim investigation into party financing.
Rare things
Mayor Harald Bergmann of Middelburg, who is in Strasbourg with a Dutch meeting to discuss the report in the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities, believes that every politician should be able to act and vote without final consultation. At the same time, he says: ‘There is a certain confidence that everything will go well. I don’t see any rare things happening in Zeeland. Everything happens in cash. Of course people sometimes make mistakes, but I’ve never seen that happen on purpose’, he says. According to the VVD mayor, the lack of rules is part of the culture.
Proxy
Prebilič criticizes the Dutch municipal elections on two more points. For example, he believes that voting by proxy should be different. Now the proxy giver cannot control his or her vote is actually cast for the candidate of his or her preference. Prebilič: ‘You can solve this by giving people the opportunity to vote earlier, for example by giving them the opportunity to vote by post three days before the elections.’
Elected Mayor
Another point of criticism concerns the appointment method of the mayor. Prebilič states that local choices must be made. The municipality can now draw up a profile and make a nomination, but this can be deviated from for compelling reasons. According to Prebilič, this gives the king’s commissioner a great deal of influence on the personality who will lead the municipality.
If the report is used on Thursday, it will be sent to the Council of Ministers of the Council of Europe.