Communist Party wins election law fight

TORONTO, June 28 (UPI) -- The Supreme Court of Canada has handed the Communist Party a victory in its battle against national election laws.

Current campaign laws are discriminatory against fringe parties and violate the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the high court ruled Friday.

The justices gave the federal government one year to make it easier for fringe parties to raise money and appear on ballots, the Toronto Star reported Saturday.

The ruling also affects sweeping campaign finance reforms that passed Parliament less than a month ago, the newspaper said.

Communists challenged a requirement that parties field 50 candidates in order to be registered with Elections Canada. Registered parties can issue tax receipts to donors and have the party name listed next to candidates on ballots.

The Communists had fewer than 50 candidates in 1993 but have since regained momentum. Party chairman Miguel Figueroa said they decided to move forward with the court challenge nonetheless.