State budget for 2021 approved in final global vote

Praia, Dec 11 (Inforpress) – Parliament approved today, in the final global vote, the proposed State Budget law for 2021, with 38 votes in favor, from the Movement for Democracy (MpD – in power).

All opposition deputies, 22 from the African Independence Party of Cape Verde (PAICV) and three from the Independent and Democratic Cape Verdean Union (UCID), voted against the budget proposal, the last of the current legislature with a global value of 77,896 million shields, presented by the Government.

In its declaration of vote, the PAICV, represented by deputy José Maria Gomes da Veiga, said that its group voted against considering the budget proposal “expensive” and “unrealistic”, which does not correspond to the needs of the population.

José Gomes da Veiga stated that the Budget will also serve to pay the travel costs of Government members during the electoral campaign for the forthcoming legislative elections.

For his part, deputy António Monteiro explained that the UCID voted against because he understood that the budget will “considerably increase the public debt”, in addition to the fact that “it will not benefit companies and families”.

This deputy also said that the State Budget presented for 2021 contains “electoral measures”, to “guarantee a few hundred votes” in the legislative elections scheduled for March next year.

Deputy Armindo Luz, from the MpD, said that the budget now approved is “turned to the poorest families and affected by covid-19”, criticizing the “block” of the opposition to the proposal to increase the domestic debt ceiling.

“This is a budget that combines and adjusts to Cape Verde's challenges in terms of health, social and economic aspects”, he defended.

GSF/HF

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