Details of the Bill on 'Transparency of Financial Resources and Election Expenses'

The Iranian government has mandated candidates in elections to register their financial resources and election expenses in the bill titled 'Transparency of Financial Resources and Election Expenses,' and has granted the executive board the authority to 'audit and review' these resources. The bill also restricts election expenses to four categories and prohibits 'providing cash and non-cash assistance to individuals by candidates or on their behalf.' The 'Transparency of Financial Resources and Election Expenses' bill was submitted to the Islamic Consultative Assembly on Wednesday, November 20, with an urgency clause by President Hassan Rouhani's government. According to the text of this bill, published on Saturday, November 23, by the news agencies Mehr and Fars, each candidate is required to open a bank account as the 'only' place for depositing and withdrawing their election expenses. If this bill is finally approved, the examination of this account by the responsible authorities 'is permitted.' According to the bill, election candidates are also required to register 'all resources and expenditures' related to their election activities and to record the 'sources of financing' for these expenses 'in a transparent manner and in accordance with standard accounting methods' so that they can be 'audited and reviewed' by the executive boards. The executive boards for conducting elections are selected by the Ministry of Interior. The government bill also obliges parties to register their 'direct' election expenses or 'assistance to candidates' in compliance with 'regulations' and 'audit methods' so that they can be 'reviewed upon request' by the Article 10 Commission of Parties. This bill has been presented by Hassan Rouhani's government amid statements by Abdolreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior, regarding the 'influx of dirty money into politics and elections,' which led to protests from the Speaker and several members of Parliament in the last months of the previous year. Previously, a confession letter from Mohammad Reza Rahimi, Deputy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, about spending 1.2 billion tomans for 170 candidates in the eighth parliamentary elections from an individual account belonging to Jaber Abdali, one of the defendants in the Iran Insurance embezzlement case, had made headlines. Meanwhile, according to the government bill, receiving assistance from 'foreign governments and individuals' as well as 'using illicit resources including those derived from organized crime, smuggling, and drug trafficking in money laundering' has been declared prohibited. If this bill is finally approved, the election expenses of candidates 'must only' include costs for 'establishing election headquarters,' 'holding public gatherings,' 'permitted advertising in media and other permitted advertisements,' and 'costs and fees of executive and expert personnel in election activities.' The bill also emphasizes that 'other expenses and obligations apart from the matters subject to this article, including providing cash and non-cash assistance to individuals by candidates or on their behalf, are prohibited.' This bill has mandated governorships to 'warn' candidates in case of 'providing cash and non-cash assistance' and 'if no action is taken, to inform the executive boards' to prevent it. According to current laws in Iran, candidates in parliamentary, presidential, and city council elections are not required to declare their election expenses. Meanwhile, reports have previously surfaced regarding the distribution of cash assistance or payment for vote buying, especially in parliamentary elections. In this context, the bill on the transparency of candidates' financial resources has been submitted to the Parliament. Mohammad Reza Aref has become the head of the Reformists' Election Council, and the cost of holding elections has been estimated at '160 billion tomans.'