Govt owes parties K2mil

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By MIRIAM ZARRIGA
THE Government owes the 25 political parties which have members in Parliament about K2 million, accumulated from 2017, an official says.
In compliance with the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC), the Government allocates funding to parties represented in Parliament for administration purposes.
“This funding does not go to any individual but goes into the party account to be used for their administrative purposes,” he said.
“Parties use these funds and provide annual statements to the registry.”
Gelu explained that the registry was yet to receive funding from Treasury to pay the 25 parties.
“Right now we owe parties funds as a result of (Government’s) failure to give us the grants that should be paid to the parties,” he said.
“It goes back to as far as 2017. Attempts (have been made) to the Department of Treasury to pay these outstanding funds but no positive response to date.”
And after six more new political parties were registered last week, Registrar of Political Parties Dr Alphonse Gelu is urging Parliament to fast-track legislation that will stop new party registrations a year before a general election.
Gelu said a revised OLIPPAC bill before Parliament would set a deadline for parties to be registered.
“There is a deadline we have imposed in that revised law, that you have to register a party a year before the issue of writs,” he said.
“The Government has boasted about passing legislations. But what about the revised Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates?”
Gelu said they had been working on it since 2014.
He also wants MPs to stick to one party after the election because constant movements between parties was weakening the party system, he said.