Through a propaganda video broadcast on Sunday evening, the president announced that he will veto the redistribution of funds made by the Assembly in the early hours of December 24.
President Nayib Bukele will approve some of the decrees approved by the Assembly relating to the nation’s general budget for 2021 and will veto others that include adjustments to items, but have not specified which ones.
The announcement was made via a propaganda video spread through his social networks confirming that it was the increase in minimum pensions from $ 204 to $ 304 per month that the deputies did through an agreement between ARENA, FMLN and PDC.
SEE: Assembly approves budget for 2021 with minimum pension increase to $ 304 per month
However, in the video, the government blames the delegates for the changes made to the project by the Treasury and hints that it will veto the part in which the Assembly guaranteed the payment of Fodes to the mayors.
In the video, he also states that the government hopes to adjust the 2021 budget in May, when the new assembly joins as the executive puts its hopes in the support polls to the ruling party reflect.
The budget project presented on September 30 by the Minister of Finance, Alejandro Zelaya, saw some financial cuts, one of these adjustments was made in the items of consultancies and government advertising, CEPA, Lotería Nacional de Beneficencia, CIFCO and other institutions.
Cuts were also made in spending in Capres, OIE, Army and Secretary of Communications. With all those cuts, they managed to reduce the budget deficit to $ 138.7 million.
One of the reorientations approved to the budget is the $ 5 million increase for the Court of Auditors of the Republic (CCNR), an institution responsible for the management of state resources.
In addition, there is a $ 7 million budget increase for the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, allowing a prosecutor to be placed in any voting center during the election, as explained by Attorney Raúl Melara before the Finance Committee.
For the Office of the Attorney for Human Rights and the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic, a total of $ 5 million was raised.
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The Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) had in recent months called for a $ 5 million budget increase to hold the 20201 elections under COVID-19 protocols. The Assembly approved this increase.
Likewise, $ 20 million was raised to the University of El Salvador budget, which will help provide more scholarships, free fees, and online classes.
Budget cuts
However, as the delegates explained in order to meet the increases, rebates totaling $ 450.12 million were applied to various portfolios, including: the presidency of the republic was reduced by $ 47.1 million; 27 million for the treasury and 27.6 million for defense.
The MPs also did not allocate the $ 22 million requested by the National Administration of Aqueducts and Sewers (ANDA) for the compensation.
Likewise, the Presidency of the Republic, CEPA, the National Charity Lottery, CIFCO, and other institutions have been cut by a total of $ 7.9 million earmarked for propaganda.
In the same vein, another $ 25.6 million was cut for consultancies in the National Registry of Natural Persons, FISDL, Treasury, CEL and ANDA, among others.
With all these cuts, it was possible to reduce the budget deficit from $ 1,342.2 million raised by the government to $ 159 million.
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