- – The candidate who spent the most was ultimately not elected!
- – The electoral top 15 MPs and the four-year top 5
- – The available amounts officially reported by Google and META – More than 800,000 euros for ND, 320,000 for SYRIZA, more than 100,000 for PASOK
- – The limits of permissible expenditure of candidates according to the law
By Vassilis Galoupis
It was the first election, even a “double” election, that the parties paid the utmost attention to internet advertising. The trend had already started at the end of the previous decade, but in 2023, the parties that contested the vote in the Greek parliamentary elections decided to allocate significant funds in order to get their campaign messages directly to the electorate.
The “champion”, as was expected based on the upgraded state subsidies due to its 2019 figures, was New Democracy, which spent more than 800,000 euros on advertising. SYRIZA allocated more than 320,000 euros and PASOK more than 100,000.
In our research, we even identified the parliamentary candidates who spent the most on both Google and META, owners of Facebook and Instagram.
The advertising campaign of parties and MPs also included Tik Tok, but no corresponding data was available for the Chinese-originated social media.
The legal framework on MPs’ election expenses sets a limit on expenses, the declaration of amounts within certain deadlines, and, ultimately, an audit by the Parliamentary Audit Committee.
The parties’ expenditure
According to Google’s data, ND spent 402,000 euros from March 25 to July 24, with SYRIZA spending 172,000 euros on advertising. In META, the amounts from April to the first 20 days of July were 417,733 euros for ND and 149,071 euros for SYRIZA.
The lists:
Advertisements of parties and profiles of their leaders on Google from 25/3/2023-24/7/2023
1 – ND: 402.000 euro
2 – SYRIZA: 172.000
3 – KKE: 48.000
4 – PASOK: 34.800
5 – MERA25: 19,100
6 – NIKI: 8.900
Advertisements of parties and profiles of their leaders on META (Facebook, Instagram) from 24/4/2023-21/7/2023
1 – ND: 417.733 euros
2 – SYRIZA: 149.071
3 – PASOK: 68.124
4 – MERA25: 25.210
5 – Plefsi Eleftherias: 15.799
6 – NIKI: 6.373
7 – Elliniki Lisi: 5.493
The costs incurred by candidates
The first in advertising expenditure in the list of Google’s candidates was Kyriakos Pierrakakis with 18.500 euros, in the second place was Konstantinos Kyranakis (14.200), and Vassilis Kikilias (10.400) in the third.
At the top of META’s corresponding list is Yannis Mantzouranis (SYRIZA, no0t elected) with 22,482 euros. Then is Niki Kerameos (14,718) and Vassilis Kikilias (14,534).
The lists:
Candidate ads on Google from 15/4/2023-14/7/2023
1 – Kyriakos Pierrakakis (ND): 18.500 euros
2 – Konstantinos Kyranakis ( ND): 14.200
3 – Vasilios Kikilias ( ND): 10,400
4 – Nikos Dendias (ND): 7,850
5 – Nikolaos Pettas (ND, not elected): 7,450
6 – Dimitrios Kairidis (ND): 4,750
7 – Athanasios Moraitis (SYRIZA, not elected): 4,200
8 – Menelaos Maltezos (SYRIZA, not elected): 3050
9 – Kostas Ach. Karamanlis (ND): 3.000
10 – Milena Apostolaki (PASOK): 3.000
11 – Konstantinos Kefalogiannis (ND): 3.000
12 – Christina Alexopoulou (ND): 2,950
13 – Dora Bakoyannis (ND): 2,900
14 – George Koumoutsakos (ND): 2,800
15 – Takis Theodorikakos (ND): 2,800
Candidate ads on META (Facebook, Instagram) from 15/4/2023 – 14/7/2023
1 – Giannis Mantzouranis (SYRIZA, not elected): 22.482 euros
2 – Niki Kerameos (ND): 14.718
3 – Vassilis Kikilias (ND): 14,534
4 – Takis Theodorikakos (ND): 13,000
5 – Constantinos Kyranakis (ND): 10,643
6 – Nikos Papathanasis (ND): 9,123
7 – Athina Linou (SYRIZA): 8,172
8 – Christos Rokos (SYRIZA, not elected): 7,934
9 – Aris Stylianou (SYRIZA, not elected): 7,137
10 – Michalis Katrinis (PASOK): 6,962
11 – Kyriakos Pierrakakis (ND): 6,706
12 – Vassilis Spanakis (ND): 6,679
13 – Thanos Plevris (ND) 6,556
14 – Thanasis Papathanasis ( ND): 6.279
15 – Nikos Dendias (ND): 6.235
The top 5 of the four years
According to META’s data, during the four-year period 2019-2023 (including the three election periods for the parliamentary elections), Yannis Mantzouranis spent 94,354 euros on an advertising campaign, more than twice as much as the 2nd in the relevant list, former Minister of Education and current Minister of Interior, Niki Kerameos (37,997). The third was the former Minister of Civil Protection, Takis Theodorikakos (36,687).
Candidate ads on META (Facebook, Instagram) from 15/4/2019-14/7/2023
1 – Giannis Mantzouranis (SYRIZA): 94.354 euros
2 – Niki Kerameos (ND): 37.997
3 – Takis Theodorikakos (ND): 36,687
4 – Vassilis Kikilias (ND) 35,902
5 – Kostas Ach. Karamanlis (ND) 23.127
FEK EXPENDITURE ELECTIONS (here PDF)
The expenditure limit
A Government Gazette published on April 28, 2023, specified the limit of allowable expenses for each candidate for parliament ahead of the May 21 elections.
For the Athens constituency, the maximum amount was set at 69,000 euros, for the B1 North Athens Sector at 73,500 euros, for the South Sector at 78,000 euros, the B’ Piraeus at 61,500 euros, the A’ Thessaloniki at 75,000 euros and the Territory at 69,000 euros. You can see in the pdf all the amounts per constituency.
It should be noted that the maximum allowable electoral expenditure does not include the amount corresponding to any value-added tax (VAT).
Detailed income statement (here PDF)
The expenditure limit
A Government Gazette published on April 28, 2023, specified the limit of allowable expenses for each candidate for parliament ahead of the May 21 elections.
For the Athens constituency, the maximum amount was set at 69,000 euros, for the B1 North Athens Sector at 73,500 euros, for the South Sector at 78,000 euros, the B’ Piraeus at 61,500 euros, the A’ Thessaloniki at 75,000 euros and the Territory at 69,000 euros. You can see in the pdf all the amounts per constituency.
It should be noted that the maximum allowable electoral expenditure does not include the amount corresponding to any value-added tax (VAT).
Detailed income statement (here PDF):
The Audit Committee deadlines and the declaration form
The Audit Committee of the House of Representatives, at its meeting of February 22, 2023, set the deadline for the submission of the Detailed Statements of Elected Officials for the year 2022 as June 30, 2023. Inevitably, the Detailed Statements relating to the 2023 election year will be submitted in 2024.
However, as we shall see below, elected MPs and their alternates are required to file detailed statements, vouchers, and receipts of income and expenditure, and any other documentary evidence of their funding and financial management for the period of control of election expenditure and income, no later than three months after the elections.
The obligations of screened persons
According to Article 13 of Presidential Decree 15/2022, which was published in the Official Gazette on March 1, 2022, audited persons are obliged to file with the Audit Committee:
1 – Balance sheets and accounts, as derived from the books of account kept during the first five months of each year, and a special report on election income and expenditure in respect of the period of control of election expenditure and income, not later than three months after the holding of national elections or elections for the election of representatives to the European Parliament.
2 – Detailed statements, vouchers, and receipts of income and expenditure, as well as any other documentary evidence of their financing and the management of their financial assets for the period of control of election expenditure and income, no later than three months after the elections have taken place. The above documents shall be submitted by the candidates for representatives of the Hellenic Parliament and the European Parliament who have been elected, as well as by the alternates of the combinations of parties or coalitions of parties (ed.)
3 – In the event of an alternate being nominated to the office of Member of Parliament in excess of the above distinctions, the Member nominated shall be obliged to submit the detailed list referred to in the first subparagraph of this case to the Committee referred to in Article 19 within thirty days of being sworn in.
4 – Statements, vouchers, and receipts of incomes and expenditures, as well as any other documentary evidence of their funding and financial management, shall be submitted each year for the duration of their term of office.
5 – The full and detailed content, as well as the financial valuation, of their mutual transactions with the recipients of funding for the period of control of election expenditure and revenue, within three months from the elections.
