§ Article 58(untitled)

rocedure of Creation of Electoral Funds, Referendum Funds

 1. Candidates shall establish their own electoral funds for funding their election
campaigns in the period between the submission of a written notice of their nomination (self-
nomination) to relevant election commission and submission of documents for their registration
by this election commission. At elections to bodies of local self-government a candidate is not
required to create an electoral fund, if the number of voters in the electoral district does not
exceed five thousand people and candidate does not finance his election campaign. In this
case the candidate shall notify corresponding election commission of the said circumstances.
Election associations that nominated lists of candidates shall, for the purpose of funding their
election campaigns, establish electoral funds after their authorized representatives, including
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authorized representatives for financial issues, are registered by relevant election commissions.
Election association that nominated candidates in single-seat (multi-seat) electoral district is not
required to create an electoral fun.
(as amended by the Federal Laws of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ, of July 1, 2010, No.133-FZ)

 2. A referendum initiative group shall create its own fund for funding its activities related
to putting forward of the referendum initiative, organization of the collection of signatures in
support of such initiative, and activities aimed at obtaining a certain result at the referendum.
The law of the subject of the Russian Federation may establish that, when an initiative to
conduct a local referendum with a certain number of referendum participants in the territory of
corresponding municipal formation (that shall not exceed five thousand), the referendum
initiative group is not required to create a referendum fund, provided that the group does not
fund preparation and conduct of the referendum. The maximum limit of expenditure out of a
referendum fund, sources of its creation, and the maximum limit of donations and contributions
to the referendum fund shall be established by the law. The law of the subject of the Russian
Federation that regulates preparation and conduct of referendum shall provide for the possibility
of creation of referendum funds by other referendum participant groups, including funds for
campaigning against conduct of a referendum, participation in a referendum, against questions
put for a referendum. The said funds shall be governed by the rules established by this Federal
Law for a referendum fund created by the referendum initiative group.

 3. In cases established by the law candidates shall be entitled to, and election
associations, a referendum initiative group must appoint authorized representatives for financial
issues. Registration of authorized representatives for financial issues shall be made by
commissions in the procedure established by the law.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 4. Candidates standing for election only within a list of candidates nominated by an
election association shall not be entitled to create their own electoral funds.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 5. Electoral funds of candidates, election associations may be created suing the
following sources:
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)
 a) own money of a candidate, election association;
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)
 b) sums allocated to a candidate by the election association that nominated him;
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)
 c) voluntary donations of citizens;
 d) voluntary donations of legal entities;
 e) funds allocated to a candidate, election association by corresponding election
commission in cases established by the law.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 6. No donations to electoral funds of candidates, registered candidates, election
associations to referendum funds shall be allowed from:
 а) foreign states and foreign legal entities;
 b) foreign nationals, save the case referred to in Clause 10, Article 4 of this Federal
Law;
 c) stateless persons;
 d) citizens of the Russian Federation who have not attained to the age of 18 years as of
the voting day;
 e) Russian legal entities with foreign participation if the foreign share (contribution) in
their authorized (share) capital exceeds 30 percent as of the day of the official publication of the
decision to call elections, as of the day of commencement of referendum campaign (for open
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joint stock companies – as of the date of preparation of the list of shareholders entitled to
participate in the annual general meeting for the previous financial year);
(as amended by the Federal Law of December 30, 2006, No.274-FZ)
 f) international organizations and international public movements;
 g) bodies of state power, other state bodies and bodies of local self-government;
 h) state and municipal institutions, states and municipal unitary enterprises;
 i) legal entities in authorized (share) capital of which share (contribution) of the Russian
Federation, subjects of the Russian Federation and (or) municipal formations exceeds 30
percent as of the day of the official publication of the decision to call elections, as of the day of
commencement of referendum campaign (for open joint stock companies – as of the date of
preparation of the list of shareholders entitled to participate in the annual general meeting for
the previous financial year);
(as amended by the Federal Law of December 30, 2006, No.274-FZ)
 j) organizations established by state and (or) local self-government bodies (except joint
stock companies, established as the result of privatization); organizations established by legal
entities referred to in Paragraphs “e” and “i” of this Clause; organizations in authorized (share)
capital of which share (contribution) of legal entities referred to in Paragraphs “e” and “i” of this
Clause exceeds 3o percent as of the day of the official publication of the decision to call
elections, as of the day of commencement of referendum campaign (for open joint stock
companies – as of the day of preparation of the list of persons entitled to vote at a general
meeting of shareholders for the previous financial year);
(as amended by the Federal Law of December 30, 2006, No.274-FZ)
 k) military units, military institutions and organizations and law enforcement authorities;
 l) charity organizations and religious associations as well as organizations established
by them;
 m) anonymous donators. "Anonymous donator" means a citizen who has not indicated
or indicated incorrectly any of the following data in the donation payment document: surname,
first name and patronymic, residential address; a legal entity which has not indicated or
indicated incorrectly any of the following data in the donation payment document: taxpayer's
identification number, corporate name, bank details);
 n) legal entities registered less than a year before the voting day of the election,
referendum.
 o) non-profit organizations if, during a year preceding the day of the donation to an
electoral fund, referendum fund they received sums of money or other property from:
 - foreign states and bodies, organizations or physical entities mentioned in
Paragraphs “a”-“d”, “f”-“h”, “k”-“n” of this Clause;
 - Russian legal entities with foreign participation, if share (contribution) of the foreign
participation in their authorized (share) capital exceeded 30 percent as of the day on which
these sums or other property was received (for open joint-stock companies - as of the date
of preparation of the list of shareholders entitled to participate in the annual general meeting
for the previous financial year);
 - legal entities with an authorized (share) capital in which the share (contribution) of
the Russian Federation, subjects of the Russian Federation and (or) municipal formations
exceeded 30 percent as of the day on which these sums or other property was received (for
open joint-stock companies - as of the date of preparation of the list of shareholders entitled
to participate in the annual general meeting for the previous financial year);
 - organizations established by state bodies and/or bodies of local self-government
(with the exception of joint-stock companies established by way of privatization);
 - organizations established by the legal entities mentioned in sub-Paragraphs three
and four of this Paragraph;
 - organizations with an authorized (share) capital in which the share (contribution) of
the legal entities mentioned in sub-Paragraphs three and four of this Paragraph exceeded 30
percent as of the day on which these sums or other property was received (for open joint-
stock companies - as of the date of preparation of the list of shareholders entitled to
participate in the annual general meeting for the previous financial year);
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(Paragraph “o” introduced by the Federal Law of December 30, 2006, No.274-FZ)
(Clause 6 as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 61 The non-profit organizations mentioned in Paragraph “o”, Clause 6 of this Article
shall not be allowed to make donations to the electoral fund of candidate, registered
candidate, election association, to referendum fund only if the sums of money or other
property received by these non-profit organizations were not returned by them to the foreign
states, bodies, organizations or physical entities mentioned in sub-paragraphs two-seven of
Paragraph “o”, Clause 6 of this Article, which gave them these sums of money or other
property (if these sums of money or this property was not transferred to the budget of the
Russian Federation before the day of the donation to the electoral fund because it was
impossible to return them).
(Clause 61 introduced by the Federal Law of December 30, 2006, No.274-FZ)

 7. When making a donation, a citizen shall indicate in the payment document the
following personal data: surname, first name, patronymic, date of birth, address of his place of
residence, series and number of passport or document equivalent to a citizen’s passport,
citizenship.

 8. When making a donation, a legal entity shall indicate in the payment document the
following data: taxpayer identification number, name, date of registration, bank details, and
notes on absence of restrictions referred to in Clause 6 of this Article.
(Clause 8 as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 9. Candidate, election association, referendum initiative group is entitled to return any
donation to electoral fund, referendum fund to donator except donation of anonymous donator.
If donation is made by a citizen or legal entity with no right to make such donation, or if donation
is made in violation of requirements referred to in Clauses 7 and 8 of this Article, or such
donation is in excess of the maximum amount established by the law, it shall be returned to
donator in full or the part that exceeds the maximum amount established by the law shall be
returned with explanation of the reason for such return. Donation made by anonymous donator
shall be transferred to revenue of corresponding budget. Terms for return of donations and
terms of transfer of donations to revenue of corresponding budget shall be established by the
law. Candidate, election association, referendum initiative group are not responsible for receipt
of donations if donators did not provide data referred to in Clauses 7 and 8 of this Article or
turned out to be unauthentic, if candidate, election association were not timely provided with
information on unlawfulness of such donations.
(Clause 9 as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 10. Maximum limits for sums that may be transferred to electoral funds out of own
money of candidate, election association, money allocated to a candidate by the election
association that nominated him, voluntary donations of citizens and legal entities, as well as the
maximum limits of expenditure out of electoral funds shall be established by law. Such
maximum limits for expenditure out of electoral funds may be increased by up to 20 percent for
electoral funds of registered candidates included in the ballot for a repeat voting. A candidate
who is simultaneously nominated in more than one electoral district at different elections, if such
elections are conducted in the same territory or in territories one of which is located within the
other, shall create electoral funds in accordance with Clause 1 of this article, however, the
maximum total limit of expenditure out of funds shall be calculated by the greatest of the above
limits.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 11. All sums of an electoral fund, a referendum fund shall be transferred to a special
electoral account, special referendum account that is opened with the consent of corresponding
commission by candidate or his authorized representative for financial issues, authorized
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representative for financial issues of election association, referendum initiative group in
branches of the Savings Bank of the Russian Federation, and, in the absence of such
branches, in other credit institutions located in the territory of the electoral district, referendum
territory. In the absence of any credit institutions in the territory of the electoral district,
referendum territory candidate, election association, referendum initiative group shall in
coordination with corresponding commission choose a credit institution at which a special
electoral account, a special referendum account is to be opened. The law of the Russian
Federation may establish that during the election to bodies of local self-government of
settlements transfer of electoral fund means to a special electoral account is not required, if
expenditure related to financing of election campaign of candidate does not exceed three
thousand rubles.
(as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)

 12. At elections of federal bodies of state power, referendum of the Russian Federation,
the procedure for opening, maintenance and closing of accounts referred to in Clause 11 of this
Article shall be established by the Central Election Commission of the Russian Federation in
coordination with the Central Bank of the Russian Federation. At elections to bodies of state
power of the subjects of the Russian Federation, and to bodies of local self-government, a
referendum of the subject of the Russian Federation, a local referendum, the procedure for
opening, maintenance and closing of the said accounts shall be established by corresponding
election commission of the subject of the Russian Federation in coordination with the main
office (the national bank) of the Central Bank of the Russian Federation in the subject of the
Russian Federation. Procedure and forms of accounting and reporting on receipt of means
from electoral funds, referendum funds and expenditure of these means shall be established by
corresponding election commission.
(Clause 12 as amended by the Federal Law of July 21, 2005, No.93-FZ)