8. Is there a ban on anonymous donations to candidates?

Russian Federation

Russian Federation

Answer
Yes
Source

For Parliamentary elections:

Art. 73 - "(1) Voluntary donations of citizens to electoral funds shall be done through a postal office or a bank in person out of their own means by presenting a passport or an equivalent identity document. The following information shall be specified in the payment document: the citizen’s last name, first name and patronymic, date of birth, residence address, passport number or the number of an equivalent identity document, citizenship. Voluntary donations of legal entities to electoral funds shall be made by a bank wire transfer to a special electoral account. The payment order for donations shall specify the following information: the entity’s individual tax-payer number (INN), title, date of registration, banking details, note of lack of restrictions imposed in paragraph 6 of Article 58 of the Federal law "On Basic Guarantees”. ...

(5) Donations to electoral funds made by anonymous donors shall within ten days of receipt of such donations be transferred to the state budget."

Source: Article 73 (1) and (5), Federal Law on Elections of Deputies to the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, 2014

For Presidential elections:

Art. 61 - "(1) Voluntary contributions to a candidate’s election fund by citizens may be made through a post office, credit institution or personally by the citizen of the Russian Federation from his own funds upon presentation of a passport of a citizen or a substituting document. When making a voluntary contribution, the citizen specifies in the payment document the following personal information: surname, first name, patronymic name, date of birth, address of the place of residence, series and number of the passport of a citizen or a substituting document, nationality.

(2) Voluntary contributions to the candidate’s election fund by legal entities shall be made in a cashless form by transferring funds to the special election account. When making voluntary contribution by a legal entity the payment document shall specify the following information: identification number of a taxpayer, name, registration date, bank details; a note on the absence of restrictions provided for in clause 6 of Article 58 of this Federal Law shall be made.

(5) Contributions made by anonymous contributors shall be transferred by the candidate to the federal budget within ten days of the receipt thereof to the special election fund."

Source: Article 61 (1), (2) and (5), Federal Law on the Presidential Elections in the Russian Federation, 2002

Comment

The ban applies both in case of Parliamentary and Presidential elections.

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