site.btaAudit Office: In 2023, Parties Spent BGN 37.7 Mln, Received BGN 37.2 Mln

In 2023, political parties in Bulgaria spent a total of BGN 37.7 million, while their revenues were approximately BGN 37.2 million, according to the Bulgarian National Audit Office (BNAO). Its report on the financial activities and management of state-provided assets for political parties for the January 1-December 31, 2023 period, has been published on the BNAO website.

The audit was part of the institution's 2024 Audit Programme. The audit analyses and evaluates the financial operations and asset management of political parties in compliance with the Political Parties Act and the Accountancy Act.

A total of 21 parties were audited. Their annual financial statements for 2023 were submitted to BNAO within the legally prescribed deadline.

Expenditures

During the audited period, expenditures of approximately BGN 38 million were reported, of which BGN 9.7 million (26%), were considered significant for the purposes of the audit and were verified. The expenditures were incurred to ensure the operation of party structures, to organize and conduct elections, for advertising materials and campaigns, as well as for other activities in line with the Political Parties Act. The single largest expenditure made by a political party was about BGN 10.7 million.

Revenues

Of the total reported revenues of BGN 37.2 million, BNAO verified nearly BGN 23.9 million (64%). Political parties generate revenue from the sources regulated by the Political Parties Act: membership fees, donations, interest on bank deposits, income from regulated economic activities and the sale of their own fixed assets. The largest revenue reported by a single party was BGN 10.3 million. It was found that, in most cases, state subsidies preponderated, but for some parties, donations accounted for the bulk of revenues. Smaller revenues came from membership fees, and some parties did not report any such revenues.

Fifteen of the audited political parties received nearly BGN 19 million in state subsidies, 51% of the reported revenues. The state subsidy received by the parties for 2023, as reflected in their annual financial statements, corresponds to the amount transferred by the Justice Ministry.

Eighteen parties reported revenues from donations by individuals to the amount of BGN 10.5 million, of which approximately BGN 2.9 million (27%) were verified. During the audited period, 13 parties reported revenues from membership fees totalling BGN 4.6 million, of which just over BGN 2 million (44%) were verified, according to BNAO.