“A donation by a candidate to the Knesset totaling over NIS 1 million a year during the four years preceding the election campaign will be considered a campaign expense.”
The Knesset House Committee, chaired by MK Ruhama Avraham (Kadima) yesterday discussed donations made by businessman Arcadi Gaydamak. MK Ran Cohen (Meretz) submitted a bill “banning the use of donations for election purposes.”
The bill has been nicknamed the anti-Gaydamak amendment”. It stipulates, “A donation by a candidate to the Knesset totaling over NIS 1 million a year during the four years preceding the election campaign will be considered a campaign expense.”
Cohen’s bill proposes considering donations by tycoons to be more than philanthropy. He said, “When the donor becomes a political candidate, he cannot be considered as acting for the public good in good faith and free of interest. These donations should be monitored in order to ensure that no use was made of the money to divert electioneering spending in a way that will harm the principle of equality.”
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on January 2, 2007
© Copyright of Globes Publisher Itonut (1983) Ltd. 2006