PARLIAMENT: Budget session in progress - Earthquake interrupted

The 16th session of the 5th Plenary Session of the Parliament to vote on the revised Budget of 2021, which voted against on December 17, has begun. After processes that started immediately after the vote on the Budget, mainly focusing on EDEK to ensure the positive votes of its MPs, it became clear that the support of Solidarity, which voted in favor of the voted Budget, was not given. However, this afternoon Solidarity decided to vote in favor of the Budget in protest. EDEK decided that it would vote last night.

The Report of the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, read by the President of Christiana Erotokritou, states that the revised Budget provides for expenditures (regular and development), amounting to € 7.158.245.905 and shows an increase of expenditures by 2,5% compared to the initial estimates. Approved expenditure for the 2020 budget (excluding the four supplementary 2020 budgets).

It is noted that, after the amendments that have been incorporated in it as a result of the consultations that took place after the voting of the initial budget for the year 2021, the new budget is presented increased by € 339.912.290. Revenues projected in the said budget (excluding financial flows) amount to € 6.480 million, compared to revised revenues of € 5.917 million in 2020, showing an increase of 9,5%.

Although the Ministry of Finance has stated that it has included in the revised Budget most of the amendments that were voted in favor of the voted Budget, about 35 amendments will be put to the vote before the Budget is put to a vote.

Based on the statements of the parties DISY, EDEK, Solidarity, ELAM and Cooperation of Democratic Forces, they vote for the Budget and vote against AKEL, DIKO, Ecologists and the Independent MP.

It is noted that there was a short interruption of the plenary session, due to the earthquake that affected Cyprus.