Just three out of 32 MEP candidates declare income from donations

Candidates ranked by order of first-count votes received

Only three out of 32 candidates for the European Parliament elections of last May declared they received donations during the electoral campaign, according to the declarations of return of election expenses submitted to the Electoral Commission.

The three candidates who submitted this information were Tal-Ajkla candidate Nazzareno Bonnici – who collected €400 from corner meetings – Imperium Europa’s Norman Lowell – who collected €517 from three political activities and SMS donations – and Labour candidate Ivan Grixti who received €1,410 from fund-raising activities and two donors.

Candidates are obliged by law to submit a return of election expenses to the Electoral Commission, together with receipts. The formula provided by the Electoral Commission includes a breakdown of printing, advertising, stationery, postage, telegrams, rooms hired either for public meetings or as committee rooms and any other miscellaneous expenses, whether paid or incurred.

In this diagram, the candidate with the bigger circle and the lighter shade got the most 'bang for their buck'

But it is clear that the template for declaring electoral returns offers great leeway to the candidates to declare any sort of expense they want: not everyone provides receipts, for instance.

Eleven candidates, the majority Labour candidates, failed to submit copies of receipts of the expenses they claimed to have incurred while Alternattiva Demokratika’s Carmel Cacopardo and Labour candidate Peter Cordina claimed to have incurred no expenses at all.

With a capping of €18,635 per candidate, the biggest spender turned out to be PN candidate Ray Bugeja who claimed to have spent €18,442.26. Bugeja, known to have thrown big receptions in the run up to the elections, did not submit VAT receipts but a list of expenses he claimed to have incurred. The list of expenses varies from the editing of a video clip to replacement of lost power adapters, makeup, cakes for Dar Centrali, a fine, lunch at a Gozo Hotel and the usual advertising and printing expenses.

In fact, all candidates spent a collective €46,735 and €68,663 in printing and advertising expenses respectively. Candidates were also keen on spending literally thousands on postage with Francis Zammit Dimech (PN) topping the list at €9,228 followed by PN candidate Helga Ellul (€5,265), PN MEP David Casa (€4,680), former Labour MEP Joseph Cuschieri (€4,592) and Labour MEP Alfred Sant (€3,504).

Only nine candidates reported to have paid for Facebook adverts with Labour candidate Lino Bianco topping the list at €2,574.50. PN candidate Stefano Mallia reported to have paid €847.46 in a Google display campaign. Together the nine candidates spent €8,246.05 in Facebook ads.

Alfred Sant, who spent €8,136.02 in printing expenses alone, also spent €1,322 on personalised wristbands.

Alleanza Liberali’s Jean Pierre Sammut also listed a €1,170 trip to Vienna, Austria, for a rally of the Liberals as an expense.

The cost of winning

An analysis of the candidates’ spending also shows that it is not the amount of money spent in the campaign that ultimately counts but the target audience and the candidate’s message.

A push by the party’s electoral campaign doesn’t hurt either.

All of the biggest spenders, with the exception of Roberta Metsola (€17,572) and Marlene Mizzi (€17,666), who were both returned, failed to get elected. The biggest spenders were Ray Bugeja (€18,442), Joseph Cuschieri (€18,292), Helga Ellul (€17,789) and Francis Zammit Dimech (€17,667).

25-year-old Clint Camilleri spent €16,365.

The elected candidates were Therese Comodini Cachia (€15,229), Roberta Metsola, David Casa (€8,745.30), Miriam Dalli (€10,011), Marlene Mizzi and Alfred Sant (€16,407).

European Parliament candidates, listed in order of the size of their first-count votes, with their respective campaign spend.