State Financial Subsidies and Air Time Allocations Made to Contending Political Parties

As can be understood from the modern definition of democracy, it is inalienable from elections.  Democratic system can never exist without democratic elections and vice versa. In order for the prevalence of democratic elections, political parties need to accomplish several things necessary for them to contest in the elections. They need to introduce their candidates and programs to the public, they need to educate the public that the latter play its own role for making the elections be free, fair, democratic, peaceful and legitimate as well as to train and deploy their agents at various levels etc., all of which  require money and other resources. Of course, the parties collect big chunks from their own members and supporters. Despite that, political parties in developing countries critically need additional resource in order for them accomplish the huge tasks that await them in elections. But, supports delivery system and mechanism varies from country to country.

There are generally two basic principles that govern allocations of support despite their variant nature depending on the objective realities of the specific countries. These are either the principle of equality or the principle of equity.

 The first principle relates to equal distribution of resources allocated by the government to all political organizations contesting in elections, i.e. without attaching any criteria in resource distribution. Nevertheless, this approach was found to be non-preferable in most of the countries, as the equal distribution of allocated budget to all contending parties will be meaningless particularly in countries with enormous number of contesting parties as often was the case that political parties with little participation in politics of a nation is likely to get equal amount with the political party of greater political participation.

The second principle, which is equity, is practiced according to objective realities and the overriding principles that exist in a country. Most of the countries that are fond of applying the principle of equity take number of parliamentary seats as a major criterion for undertaking fair resource distribution. There are also countries which employ other criteria along with that. For example, some use number of candidates or for that matter number of women candidates fielded by the political parties.

Among countries that employ the principle of equity in distributing resources among political parties are South Africa, Greece, Spain, United Kingdom and Israel.

The principle opted by Ethiopia is equity.  That was made in line with the amended Law of Political Parties’ Registration Proclamation Number 573/2000, which dictates that state financial subsidies made to the political parties by the government will be distributed and utilized in a manner that political parties contribute their share for the democratic system. The law also requires that the state subsidy be made in equitable and just manner. Thus the board has issued the distribution system code number 5/2000.

The budget allocation formula that was principally made on the principle of equity as an expression of taking the objective realities of the country, the Board had forwarded the draft formula to the political parties’ consultation.

At the end of the day, the accepted budget formula stated that 55% of the total state financial subsidy be distributed on the basis of seats parties have in the federal house and regional councils; 25% of it be on the number of candidates the parties fielded for the federal house and the regional councils; 10% of it on the number of women candidates fielded by the political parties; and the remaining 10% be distributed on equal basis to all of the legally registered political parties.

It must be clear however that even the draft formula was designed after the NEBE had thoroughly examined the experience of other countries and consultation was made with political parties. As was revealed in the studies conducted by NEBE, countries that apply the principle of equity distribute some80-90% of the state subsidies on the basis of parliamentary seats, apparently discouraging other parties that either lost in the earlier elections or recently established.

Cognizant of this fact, what NEBE has finally come up with was a formula that also encourages new parties. That is why; the amount of subsidies allocated to parties with parliamentary seats has substantially been reduced to 55% against 90% of other countries. That was made in a manner to consolidate the prevailing multiparty system more than ever. The unique move taken by the board shows its commitment to independently serve all political parties and want them all compete with better resource at their disposal.

With a subsidiary plan of such a kind, the board submitted it to the state which has finally made an allocation of 7,000,000 Birr as a show case of its commitment for creating a robust multiparty system and prevailing free,  fair, democratic and peaceful elections in the coming May.

On the other hand, NEBE has played a key role in the equitable distribution of free air time and news papers columns for contesting political parties in collaboration with the Ethiopian Broadcasting Agency.

Based on the equitable share, all the political parties contesting in the upcoming elections would use 25% of the total air time and columns allocated by public owned media; 55% of it distributed according to the number of  seats in the federal parliament and regional councils; while the remaining 25% is distributed the number of candidates fielded by the political parties.

In general, NEBE is relentlessly working for the successful accomplishment of election with all measures and standards. It is up to the political parties to exploit the best opportunities created for them and contribute their best for the successful completion of the elections so that they will be free, fair, democratic, peaceful and legitimate more than ever.