Neos Vienna: What the campaign costs of 2.8 million euros reveal

Neos Vienna: What the campaign costs of 2.8 million euros reveal

Wien, Österreich - On April 19, 2025, Neos Vienna published their preliminary election advertising costs for the upcoming Vienna election campaign. The party spent EUR 2,803,546.20, an amount that does not exceed the legally defined upper limit of five million euros and also remains as part of the communicated three million euros during the election campaign. This disclosure is part of a transparency reform that Neos initiated Vienna. According to this reform, political parties are obliged to publish their provisional expenses a week before the election day in order to provide the citizens a clear overview of finances.

The NEOS emphasize that transparency is a central pillar of a fair and modern democracy. If the expenses are not complied with or exceeded, there are clear legal consequences to ensure the integrity of the election process. ots reported that this procedure Strengthening trust in the political landscape.

In the context of political transparency, Germany is also an important example to look at. In a recent analysis by Deutschlandfunk it is shown that the origin of 77 percent of party donations and mandate contributions in 2022 remained unknown. Transparency International criticizes that the multitude of uncontrollable large donations endanger confidence in democracy. This is worrying, especially since Germany fell by six places in position 15 in the corruption perception index.

There are clear rules for party financing, but a lot remains in the dark. For example, donations less than 10,000 euros do not have to be listed in the accountability report. The registration limit for large donations was recently reduced from 50,000 euros to 35,000 euros. 88 large donations have already been registered for 2025. Nevertheless, a survey shows that the majority of Germans supported a capacity of party donations.

demands for reforms

Despite the existing regulations, call -damaging practices are not excluded. The focus is on transparent policies for party financing and Kevin Kühnert calls for a discussion about the gaps in the system of party financing, especially after large donations flowed to the BSW in the past. The problem of the traceability of donations remains highly topical, while the Neos Vienna show with their reform what transparency in politics can look like.

In summary, developments in Vienna and the Situation in Germany illustrate the importance of transparency and clear regulations in party financing in order to strengthen the trust of citizens in the political system.