Municipality to allocate half a million lei for holding parliamentary elections in Chisinau

Some 520,000 lei will be allocated from the municipal budget for the organization of the parliamentary elections in Chisinau, which is by 40 percent more than the amount spent in the local elections. A decision in this respect was approved today by the municipal commission in charge with the management of the reserve funds, Info-Prim Neo reports. The initial proposal by Chisinau Deputy Mayor Mihai Furtuna was to allocate 315,000 lei, the amount used in the 2007 local elections. But first of all, the arrest on the municipality's accounts must be lifted, said Furtuna, referring to the Justice Minister's decision to freeze the accounts of the district offices to secure the payment of 125 million lei that the municipality owes to the utility Termocom. City Council Chairman Eduard Musuc, who is also the head of the commission, suggested the amount should be raised, adding that the extra 200,000 lei -- which “is, in fact, not a big pot of money” -- shouldn't be a reason for delaying preparations for the elections. Attending the meeting, a number of district heads expressed dissatisfaction with Furtuna's proposal, demanding a sum no smaller than 560,000 lei. “The election campaign has already started. We can't put the ballot boxes right on election day” said Centru district head Vladimir Sarban. Valeriu Nemerenco, the head of Buiucani district, said Furtuna's proposal would spoil his spending plans of 82,000 lei, and would render the preparation of polling places impossible. City Council Secretary Valeriu Didencu remarked that its up to the city councilors to approve the final sum. “The Law on Local Public Administration puts the responsibility of preparing the electoral rolls, the voting booths, the polling places, and whatever needed for the good organization of the vote, on the local authorities”, explained Didencu.