Switzerland's new transparency rules fail to clarify party donations

Switzerland has had new transparency rules for political financing for a year now, but newly published figures provide no clear answers on party donations – quite the opposite. How much money do Swiss political parties receive? When it comes to transparency on financing, Switzerland has long been at the bottom of the league in Europe, alongside Belarus. Party funding is particularly important in a country that expects its voters to make informed decisions at the ballot box four times a year. Pressure from the public ultimately led to new Swiss transparency rules, which came into force ahead of the federal elections in autumn 2023. Disclosure obligation The disclosure obligation applies to the parties represented in the Swiss parliament. Anyone campaigning for election to parliament or for a vote must disclose this if more than CHF50,000 ($59,200) is spent on it. Anonymous donations or donations from abroad are generally prohibited. However, donations from Swiss citizens abroad are ...