Zagreb - The Constitution, Standing Orders and Political System Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved the allocation of €3.2 million in state funding to political parties and independent MPs for the final quarter of the year. The HDZ received the largest share, €1.2 million.
At Wednesday's session, the committee allocated €1,209,968 to the HDZ, which has 41 male and 15 female MPs, followed by the SDP with €814,361. The two parties receive substantially more due to their larger parliamentary groups.
The Homeland Movement (DP) was allocated €254,619 for 11 male and one female MP, while We Can! received €227,263 for two male and eight female MPs. Bridge received €191,490 for eight male and one female MP, and the Indepedent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS) €67,337 for one male and two female MPs.
Centre and the Croatian Sovereignists (HS) each received €44,190 for one male and one female MP. The NPS, IDS and HSLS each received €42,085 for two MPs, while GLAS and DOSiP each received €23,147 for one female MP.
The committee allocated €21,042 for one MP to the HDS, HSU, HSS, Independents, Focus, HNS, Law and Justice and independent MPs Armin Hodžić, Robert Jankovics, Marin Corva, Vladimir Bilek and Veljko Kajtazi.
Funding is distributed according to party representation based on final election results. MPs who cross the floor no longer transfer their funding to their new party or receive it independently if they join no party, as was previously the case.
MPs of the underrepresented sex are entitled to an additional 10% of the amount allocated per MP. The underrepresented sex is defined as having less than 40% representation in parliament; in this case, women.
The state budget provides €13 million in funding for political parties and independent MPs this year, paid in four instalments.
At the end of the session, Saša Đujić (SDP) asked that the next meeting's agenda include a discussion on the selection of three Constitutional Court judges "to get the process moving". Committee chair Ivan Malenica (HDZ) replied, "All right."