The Left Bloc (BE) rejects, in a statement released this Wednesday, April 15, that it has raised problems regarding the identification of the party’s donors, guaranteeing that it “has consistently defended transparency in the financing of parties and political agents”. The Bloc’s position arises in reaction to a report from TVI/CNN Portugal which addressed concerns raised by political forces such as BE, CDU and Chega about the identification of donors, which would have motivated the opinion that led to the decision of the Political Accounts and Financing Entity (ECFP) to prevent public consultation with the financiers of parties and electoral campaigns.
“Several of the legislative changes that made the political party financing law more demanding in this regard resulted from initiatives presented by the Left Bloc, which has played a decisive role in defending greater transparency and broader access to information on party financing”recalls the party in the statement, adding that “the scrutiny of economic interests that can influence political activity is an essential condition for the functioning of democracy”.
The party led by José Manuel Pureza guarantees that “always handed over to the ECFP the lists of donors who are not affiliated with the party, complying with the entity’s recommendationsas well as the spirit of the party financing law”, and makes a distinction between “donations from members, donations from non-members, and fundraising in activities”.
“In the case of donors who are members of the Bloco de Esquerda, the receipts are and will always be available for consultation by the ECFP”and the same happens with the “lists of participants in party activities that involve fundraising, such as rally dinners”, he explains.
“The news that motivates this clarification groups, under the same label, three parties [incluindo, para além dos dois partidos referidos, o Chega] whose positions and practices are profoundly different”highlights the BE, reinforcing the idea that, before the ECFP, it raised “legitimate doubts about the articulation between the financing law and the General Data Protection Regulation [RGPD]”, but without ever questioning it.
According to BE, and based on the TVI report, “Chega invokes the GDPR to refuse to identify the origin of donations to the ECFP itself. It is not the same thing, and the bouquet that joins the Bloc to this practice only serves to hide the difference. Once again: the Left Bloc identifies and will continue to identify the origin of all its donations to the ECFP”promises the party, claiming that its accounts “were, in all financial years, subjected to audit and presented to the Political Accounts and Financing Entity, which works alongside the Constitutional Court, in scrupulous compliance with the law”.
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