“Mēs mainām noteikumus” declares €168,376 in Saeima election campaign spending

The Latvian political party “Mēs mainām noteikumus” (We Change the Rules) has declared €168,376 in expenses for its Saeima (parliament) election campaign. The figures come from the election income and expenditure declaration published in the official gazette “Latvijas Vēstnesis”. Declared spending exceeds declared income by €74,815. The party was not elected to the 15th Saeima, but the number of votes it received will entitle it to state funding.

Biggest spending items

The largest item was the preparation of advertising materials, at €48,312. Salaries and other payments to individuals involved in the campaign came to €42,073. Together, these two items make up about 54% of declared spending.

The party spent €26,059 on placing advertising indoors and in public places and €5,430 on regional press. Advertising on public radio was declared at €607, on public television at €293 and on commercial radio at €174. No spending on internet advertising or commercial television is declared.

Equipment rental for the campaign cost €9,937, and postal services for sending out campaign materials cost €5,861. For charity events, sponsorship, benefits and donations, the party listed €19,214.

Smaller expenses

Catering at the campaign closing event cost €2,250, and catering at a candidate-list team-building event cost €1,054. Catering for the campaign video crew cost €42. The party spent €1,022 on IT infrastructure and cloud services, €726 on accounting, €45 on court fees and €229 on a “ChatGPT Pro” subscription for developing tools. The security deposit paid to the Central Election Commission was €4,680.

Income

The party declared €93,560 in income. Cash donations brought in €77,693, membership and joining fees €14,500, and other types of donations €1,367.