A registered party is, subject to and in accordance with this Act, eligible for payments from the Election Campaigns Fund in respect of an Assembly general election, or an Assembly by-election, if –

(a) it is a registered party on the polling day for the Assembly general election or the Assembly by-election; and

(b) there was, in relation to the election, an Assembly candidate who was, immediately before the polling day, an Assembly candidate endorsed by the registered party; and

(c) in relation to the election, the total number of formal first preference votes received by all Assembly candidates, who were endorsed by the registered party and nominated for election within the same division as the Assembly candidate referred to in paragraph (b) , is at least 4% of the total number of formal first preference votes in that division.