Finances may scupper mayors
Dozens of mayors-elect are in danger of being fined before taking up their new posts on January 1, while eight of those who were victorious in the municipal elections earlier this month might be barred from office completely for not following the new rules on campaign finances. According to a law passed earlier this year, all candidates in the local elections had to publish on the Interior Ministry’s website the details of their campaign funds. This information had to include what money was spent but also what donations they received and from whom. However, until yesterday dozens of winning candidates had failed to make this information available. Many showed that their campaigns had no income at all. Eight mayors-elect, six of whom were backed by the ruling PASOK party, had not even entered their details into the system. The law, however, gives successful candidates up to one month after the elections to rectify any mistakes or oversights, which gives the candidates in question until December 14 at the latest to provide their campaigns’ financial details. According to the ministry’s website, candidates for regional governorships spent a total of 5.05 million euros and mayoral candidates forked out 14.15 million on their campaigns.
