PARTIES spent much more money on their election campaigns than they admitted in preliminary reports submitted to the Finance Ministry, according to Zuzana Wienk, the head of the Fair Play Alliance NGO.
Wienk said she believed the reports left out such details as graphic design, production and operating costs. The TNS market research agency, which monitors billboards and media advertising, also found the costs the parties cited to be lower than average.
For instance, in its reported filed with the Finance Ministry, the opposition New Citizen's Alliance (ANO) claimed to have spent only Sk45,000 (Ř1,190) on an election rally, including rental fees for the hall. The Slovak Democratic and Christian Union (SDKÚ) claimed the same amount for copies of a CD distributed at its election rallies, but failed to list how many of the CDs had been produced.
According to TNS estimates, the SDKÚ spent over Sk7 million on its billboard and print media campaign from March to May, while the Free Forum and Smer spent over Sk6 million, and the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia spent Sk5 million.
