The draft adjustment of the provisional budget of Chisinau, proposed due to the latest changes in the state budget indicators, did not get the necessary number of votes.
The issue was tried to be solved at two meetings of the Municipal Council on November 24 and 25. It was decided that next time it will be presented in two separate drafts: one on teachers’ salaries, the other on expenses related to municipal authorities and enterprises.
Twenty-four councilors from the MAN party and non-party councilors voted in favor of the draft. The PSRM faction abstained, while the PAS councillors expressed their disagreement with the budget figures by leaving the meeting room.
The head of the Main Department of Finance, Olesia Pshenicki, said before the voting that without additional transfers approved by the parliament in the State Budget Law, the municipality will not be able to pay salaries in the organizations financed from the municipal budget. In addition, it is necessary to adjust electricity costs in a number of municipal institutions.
The head of the Socialist faction, Aleksandr Odintsov, suggested separating the expenses on salaries from other expenses. He said that the faction supports the adoption of a decision on the payment of salaries to Chisinau teachers. At the same time, PSRM councillors sent a request to the Finance Ministry asking it to clarify the legality of the amendments made to the preliminary budget.
For their part, the PAS councillors insist on alleged abuses in the management of the capital’s provisional budget. They sent their arguments to the National Anti-Corruption Center, believing that the mayor is trying to justify additional expenses and put pressure on the muncipal council.
In this context, the Ministry of Finance urged the Chisinau Mayor’s Office to solve the issue by a simple order of the mayor, “without the need for additional procedures or unjustified delays”.
