Koos party may pay election deposit in cash, ministry says

Estonia’s Koos party may pay its election deposit in cash as an exception, provided it follows all party-financing and reporting rules, ERR reported, citing Justice Ministry Deputy Secretary General Heddi Lutterus.

Lutterus said the Political Parties Act does not require a registered party to hold or open an account at a credit institution. Although operating without an account is unusual, she said the lack of one is not in itself grounds for criticism if the party meets its accounting obligations and maintains financial discipline.

The election law’s deposit rules were likely intended to prevent cash payments, Lutterus said. However, the law does not require a party to make the transfer to the Ministry of Finance from its own account. Candidates’ registration documents must include a copy of the payment order proving the deposit was paid on time. A party seeking to pay in cash would need to find a bank or other company offering that service and account for possible fees or limits.

Lutterus said the Party Financing Supervision Committee’s reports show that Koos has submitted income and expenditure reports. She added that accounting without a bank account does not improve transparency or trust, and that cash payment is not ruled out if the party follows the rules on transparent financing and reporting and its income comes from permitted sources.

Koos has struggled to get a bank account after banks refused to open one for the party, raising questions about how it could pay deposits for candidates in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Submitting a full list of candidates for the spring elections costs 118,250 euros.