독일 정치자금 관련 법규들과 기민련(CDU)의 재무구조

Abstract

This article explores the regulation of political funding in Germany and how CDU, the incumbent ruling party, modified its financial structure in accordance with these national regulations. This process was not maneuvered by the political parties, but by the Federal Constitutional Count which repeatedly provided the guide lines to improve the political funding structure. The occasional political scandals such as Kohl Scandal and Flick Scandal provided the impetus to improve the legal framework to strengthen control over political funding. Since 1959, German political parties were entitled to receive state funding, with the form of state funding evolving ever since. With the implementation of the Act on the Political Party in 1967, only campaigning costs for the various elections could be reimbursed. This system was subsequently replaced by a system of general annual state funding through the amendment to the Act on Political Party in 1994. It was inevitable that state funding was accompanied by state control on the political funding; in line with the decisions by the Federal Constitutional Court in 1966, 1984, 1992, 1999, the parties are requested to submit due statements of their revenues or assets. Those persons who submitted incorrect statement of account could be punished under the criminal law. In the midst of these regulatory changes, CDU, which had previously relied heavily on the wealthy donors for political funding, could be transformed into a mass party where membership dues constituted approximately 40% of the party`s funding. - similar to the Social Democratic Party(SPD)