A gazette has been issued stipulating the maximum amount a candidate can spend per registered voter in the upcoming Presidential Election.
The new campaign finance laws, passed in 2023 with the Regulation of Election Expenditure Bill, aim to hold candidates and their supporters accountable for campaign spending. The upcoming Presidential Election will be the first test of these regulations.
Accordingly, the Election Commission (EC) has set an expenditure cap of Rs. 109 per voter during the 2024 presidential polls.
Each candidate is now permitted to spend a maximum of Rs. 1.8 billion (Rs. 1,868,298,586.00) according to the new regulations.
However, the law stipulates that only 60% of this amount, approximately Rs. 1,120,979,151.60, can be directly spent by the candidates themselves.
The remaining 40%, totalling Rs. 747,319,434.40, is allocated to be spent by the candidate’s nominating party or individual. (Newswire)
