The data of the population census are first of all needed by the state. You can never plan the budget of a state without taking into account the number of people you manage. The biggest problem of Moldova is now the territorial administrative form that needs these data. The people also need them to impose particular support or policies on the Government, Lucia Spoiala, former director of the National Bureau of Statistics, said, commenting on the request of a group of NGOs to make public the data of the census taken in 2014, IPN reports.

“The budget was set at 89 million lei. The Ministry of Finance allocated only 70 million lei to us. The rest of the sum was to be allocated in 2015-2016. At the end of 2015, it was agreed that the shortage of 17 million will be allocated in 2016, but, as fat as I know, there was provide only 3 million lei,” Lucia Spoiala, who now heads the women’s organization of the European People’s Parry, said in an interview for Radio Free Europe.

As regards NGOs’ suspicions that the authorities haven’t yet published the census data because it is not suitable for them now, Lucia Spoiala said these are only insinuations. “For example, the preliminary figure of 2.9 million that was published is a real one given the number of people who took part in the census,” she stated.

Lucia Spoiala also said that as far as she knows, the National Bureau of Statistics is now employing operators. The model of counting software was finalized and the processing is to be launched on April 10. “Furthermore, the National Bureau of Statistics respected the time limit of 27 month and I think that the data will be made public at the end of this December at the latest,” said the politician.

Lucia Spoiala noted that the National Census Commission in the last meeting decided that December 2016 is the last month when these data must be presented.