The controversy about the budget funds needed for organizing the snap parliamentary elections becomes bitter. Acting Prime Minister Aureliu Ciocoi said the sum of 125 million lei set by the CEC for organizing the elections is exaggerated and he considers this should be reduced. He noted the Reserve Fund does not contain enough money for the purpose, while the Ministry of Finance is trying to identify funds for ensuring the proper holding of elections, IPN reports.

The official said the sum needed for organizing the elections does not exist in the Reserve Fund. This now contains 98 million lei. Money can be transferred to the Central Election Commission exclusively from this fund.

“As a responsible acting Prime Minister, I cannot leave the country with zero lei in the Reserve Fund,” Aureliu Ciocoi stated in the talk show “Shadow Cabinet” on Jurnal TV channel.

He noted that the sum of 125 million lei decided by the CEC should be diminished as it is exaggerated.

“The presidential elections cost 165 million lei, but there were held two rounds of voting. We proposed the sum of 80 million lei for organizing the snap elections. The Ministry of Finance ascertained that 72 million lei of the 125 million lei is the sum needed for paying salaries to the CEC members, members of bureaus. But this money can be paid later,” said Aureliu Ciocoi.

He stated that the Government offered the CEC to allocate money in tranches, but the proposal was rejected.

“We proposed transferring the first tranche of 50-60 million lei so that the CEC could start the activities to organize the elections. We could then collect the rest of the funds. But the CEC chairman told us that they need to be sure that the Government fully allocates the sum. I asked the Ministry of Finance to identify possibilities for supplementing the Reserve Fund,” said the official.

He also said that the CEC does not need to purchase anti-COVID-19 equipment for which 12 million lei was earmarked as Moldova has such equipollent in the Ministry of Health’s stores.