ECIElection Campaign-Finance Index

Article 17 explicitly establishes spending limits for election campaign costs across all election categories (presidential, parliamentary, European, local, and regional) with specific numerical thresholds set directly in the statute. The limits are enumerated exhaustively by election type and jurisdiction size, with no delegation to administrative discretion. The statutory framework is comprehensive and unambiguous.

“Ukupan iznos troškova izborne promidžbe po kandidatu, odnosno kandidacijskoj listi ne smije prelaziti iznos veći od: – 8.000.000,00 (osam milijuna) kuna na izborima za Predsjednika Republike Hrvatske, – 1.500.000,00 (jedan milijun i petsto tisuća) kuna u jednoj izbornoj jedinici na izborima za zastupnike u Hrvatski sabor, – 1.500.000,00 (jedan milijun i petsto tisuća) kuna na izborima za članove za Europski parlament, – 1.000.000,00 (jedan milijun) kuna na izborima za gradonačelnika Grada Zagreba, – 600.000,00 (šesto tisuća) kuna na izborima za župana i gradonačelnika velikog grada, – 250.000,00 (dvjesto pedeset tisuća) kuna na izborima za gradonačelnika i općinskog načelnika u jedinicama lokalne samouprave koje imaju više od 10.000 tisuća stanovnika, – 100.000,00 (sto tisuća) kuna na izborima za gradonačelnika i općinskog načelnika u jedinicama lokalne samouprave koje imaju od 3.001 do 10.000 tisuća stanovnika, – 50.000,00 (pedeset tisuća) kuna na izborima za gradonačelnika i općinskog načelnika u jedinicama lokalne samouprave koje imaju do 3.000 stanovnika.”

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: This section addresses seat allocation and preferential voting in a special electoral district for Croatian diaspora voters. It contains no rules governing independent expenditures, third-party spending, candidate committees, or any aspect of campaign finance. It is purely procedural electoral law relating to vote counting and candidate selection, not campaign-finance regulation.

The statute explicitly prohibits anonymous contributions and provides a statutory definition of what constitutes an anonymous donation (donations where donor identity is unknown at time of payment or cannot be ascertained without additional steps, with specific examples). The disposition is clear: such donations must be reported to the State Audit Office and State Election Commission within 8 days and the amount must be transferred to the state budget. This constitutes a complete statutory framework addressing anonymous-contribution treatment.

“Zabranjuju se donacije iz neimenovanih (anonimnih) izvora. Donacijama iz neimenovanih (anonimnih) izvora smatraju se donacije za koje u trenutku uplate donacije nisu poznati podaci o donatoru, odnosno donacije za koje se bez dodatnih radnji ne može sa sigurnošću utvrditi donator (npr. donacije putem SMS poruka, telefonskih govornih automata).”

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Article 20 regulates the distribution and payment mechanism for campaign reimbursement funds to candidates, parties, and lists, but does not address disclosure thresholds for contributions. It concerns public financing reimbursement procedures, not the statutory definition of when contributions must be reported to the authorities. No disclosure threshold is mentioned or defined in this section.

The statute explicitly enumerates two specific filing deadlines: (1) reports to the competent electoral commission must be submitted 7 days before the election; (2) public disclosure on websites or in newspapers must occur within 48 hours of the deadline in step 5. These concrete, statutorily-grounded deadlines satisfy the procedural requirement for an enumerated filing schedule.

“Izvješća iz stavka 1. ovoga članka političke stranke, nositelji nezavisnih lista, odnosno nositelji lista grupe birača i kandidati dužni su dostaviti nadležnom izbornom povjerenstvu u roku od 7 dana prije održavanja izbora. Političke stranke, nositelji nezavisnih lista, odnosno nositelji liste grupa birača i kandidati dužni su izvješća iz stavka 5. ovoga članka javno objaviti na svojim web-stranicama odnosno na web-stranicama političke stranke koja je predložila kandidata ili putem dnevnog tiska (za lokalne izbore u lokalnom dnevnom tisku), najkasnije u roku od 48 sati od isteka roka iz stavka 5. ovoga članka.”

The statute requires disclosure of donor name (osobno ime odnosno naziv) and address (adresa) for contributions to campaign financing. However, the section does not mandate disclosure of occupation or employer information, which are components of 'full identity' under the criterion. The procedural requirement is statutorily grounded and enumerated, but incomplete relative to the full-identity standard.

“specificirane podatke o donatoru (osobno ime odnosno naziv i adresa), datumu uplate donacije”

The statute explicitly requires political parties, independent-list candidates, and voter-group candidates to publicly disclose reports on donations and campaign expenditures on their websites or in daily newspapers within 48 hours of the filing deadline. The statutory obligation to make filings publicly accessible online (or in newspapers for local elections) is clear and time-bound, satisfying the procedural requirement for public access to campaign-finance filings.

“Političke stranke, nositelji nezavisnih lista, odnosno nositelji liste grupa birača i kandidati dužni su izvješća iz stavka 5. ovoga članka javno objaviti na svojim web-stranicama odnosno na web-stranicama političke stranke koja je predložila kandidata ili putem dnevnog tiska (za lokalne izbore u lokalnom dnevnom tisku), najkasnije u roku od 48 sati od isteka roka iz stavka 5. ovoga članka.”

The statute explicitly codifies a monetary penalty (fine) of 100,000 to 500,000 kuna for a breach (prekršaj—a criminal-administrative violation in Croatian law distinct from civil liability). This satisfies the core requirement of a defined penalty schedule in statute. The penalty is both enumerated and carries criminal-administrative character, meeting the threshold for civil and criminal-grade penalties.

“Novčanom kaznom od 100.000,00 do 500.000,00 kuna kaznit će se za prekršaj”

Article 1 is purely definitional and scope-setting; it identifies the law's subject matter (financing of political parties, independent candidates, and election campaigns) and what 'financing' means, but contains no provisions regarding the establishment, appointment, composition, or independence protections of any enforcement body. The criterion requires statutory specification of enforcement-body appointment and political-control safeguards. This section does not address those questions.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: Section 107 addresses election observers' rights to monitor electoral procedures and access to election materials. It establishes no private right of action for campaign-finance violations; instead, it merely grants certain domestic and international entities the right to observe elections. The section is entirely procedural regarding observation and transparency of the voting process, not enforcement of campaign-finance rules or private remedies for violations.

Article 22 explicitly and statutorily prohibits the financing of political parties, independent representatives, and candidates by foreign states, foreign political parties, and foreign legal entities. The prohibition is codified directly in law with no reliance on administrative discretion or regulation. The section provides clear statutory grounding for the foreign-source prohibition criterion.

“Zabranjuje se financiranje političkih stranka, nezavisnih zastupnika, članova predstavničkih tijela jedinica lokalne i područne (regionalne) samouprave izabranih s liste grupe birača, nezavisnih lista, odnosno lista grupe birača i kandidata od strane: – stranih država, stranih političkih stranaka, stranih pravnih osoba,”

The statute prohibits direct foreign entities (foreign states, foreign political parties, foreign legal persons) and also addresses one form of pass-through mechanism: domestically-incorporated entities with public-sector ownership. However, it does not comprehensively address all indirect channels such as foreign nationals operating through domestic shell companies, foreign-controlled private LLCs without public ownership, or beneficial-ownership verification procedures. The provision is partially codified but lacks the systematic tracing of foreign control and ownership that would constitute comprehensive indirect-channel coverage.

No section in the FTS-surfaced candidates satisfies this criterion. Best signal: This section establishes supervisory and audit bodies (State Election Commission and State Audit Office) and their general enforcement responsibilities, but does not specify verification procedures for foreign-source contributors. The text does not enumerate statutory requirements for campaign committees to verify that contributors are not foreign-source, nor does it distinguish between active verification and mere self-attestation. Procedural clarity on foreign-source verification is absent from this provision.

The section establishes a statutory obligation for political parties, independent-list holders, and candidates to provide financial reports and 'all requested documentation' to the State Election Commission upon request. This confirms a duty to maintain records and produce them, satisfying the existence of a record-keeping requirement. However, the section does not specify the retention period, the categories of records (contributor lists, bank statements, expenditure receipts), or the consequences of failure to retain or produce records, leaving key procedural elements undefined.

“Uz financijski izvještaj o financiranju izborne promidžbe, političke stranke, nositelji nezavisnih lista, odnosno nositelji lista grupe birača i kandidati dužni su Državnom izbornom povjerenstvu, na njegov zahtjev, dostaviti svu traženu dokumentaciju.”

The statute establishes a mandatory audit requirement by assigning the State Audit Office (Državni ured za reviziju) responsibility for auditing political parties and candidates. The audit obligation is statutory and routine (not discretionary), operating within a defined legal framework and international audit standards. This satisfies the procedural requirement for mandatory audit access to campaign-committee records.

“Državni ured za reviziju obavlja reviziju političkih stranaka, nezavisnih zastupnika i članova predstavničkih tijela jedinica lokalne i područne (regionalne) samouprave izabranih s liste grupe birača te provodi i druge poslove iz svoje nadležnosti. Državni ured za reviziju obavlja reviziju na temelju ovoga Zakona na način kako je to propisano zakonom kojim se uređuje rad Državnog ureda za reviziju i međunarodnim revizorskim standardima.”