The money needed for organizing the snap parliamentary elections of July 11 will be transferred to the Central Election Commission in several tranches. According to acting Prime Minister Aureliu Ciocoi, the Reserve Fund does not have the total sum of 125 million lei requested by the CEC and the Government will therefore allocate only the first tranche for starting the process. The sums for other costs, for example the remuneration of electoral functionaries, will be transferred later, IPN reports.
Aureliu Ciocoi considers the sum asked by the CEC is exaggerated.
“We had a meeting with members of the Central Election Commission during which we informed them that the Government now cannot allocate the full amount of 125 million lei requested by the CEC. The Reserve Fund with which the elections can be organized now contains 98 million lei. The Ministry of Finance identified some funds and we can hardly gather a sum of slightly over 120 million lei, but cannot provide 125 million lei,” Aureliu Ciocoi stated in the program “Moldova live” on the public TV channel Moldova 1.
“We will transfer a part of the funds asked by the CEC the coming days. More sums will be allocated during the election campaign, depending on the necessities. It is important to give those from the CEC a part of the money for launching the organizational process,” stated Aureliu Ciocoi, noting that the Ministry of Finance in the meantime will identify sources for avoiding taking all the money from the Reserve Fund.
Of the total sum, the CEC intends to spend 12 million lei on purchasing anti-COVID-19 equipment. But the official believes that the given sum can be diminished.
“A part of the costs represent the salaries of members of the CEC and electoral bureaus. That’s why, given the tight budget of the Republic of Moldova, we can allocate this money in tranches.. There are particular costs that cab be reduced, like those intended for buying anti-COVID-19 equipment that can be provided to the CEC from the Ministry of Health’s reserves,” noted Aureliu Ciocoi.
Earlier, CEC president Dorin Cimil said that if the sum needed for properly holding the elections is reduced, the Commission will have to cut the number of polling places intended for the diaspora.
