A new report is out. It says candidates in Cyprus spent too much money. This happened in past elections. The country will have new elections in May. The report makes people worry. It says many candidates did not follow money rules.
The report looked at old elections. It found winners spent more than they could. The new mayor of Limassol spent much more. He had a limit of €30,000. He spent 105% more. Another mayor spent 48% more than his limit. Four other mayors also spent too much.
Candidates found ways to spend more. They did not tell about all costs. Friends paid for big parties. This hid the money spent. Other people paid for ads. This helped them not follow rules.
Candidates want to win. The laws are not strong. They only check ads. They do not check other costs. So, many costs are not watched.
This is a problem for the next elections. Candidates will likely spend too much. The reports come out late. The fines for breaking rules are small. So, candidates do not fear breaking rules. The next elections will show if rules will change.