With the proposal re-balance budget for this year, 400 million denars will be cut from the budget of the State Election Commission, which raises the question will there be elections this year or not?
At the beginning of the year, when MPs adopted the budget, the budget for the SEC was over 531.000.000 denars, however with the re-balance, which MPs will be voting on next week in Parliament, the SEC’s budget will be cut by 400 million denars, which leaves them with approximately 104 million denars.
Looking at the previous election years, this year the SEC has the lowest budget compared to the other years.
In 2013 when local elections were held, the SEC’s budget was over 196 million denars, and remained so even after the rebalance.
In 2014, when the presidential and early parliamentary elections were held, the budget for the SEC was almost 303 million denars, and even with the rebalance their budget increased to nearly 304 million denars.
The main opposition party, the SDSM announced that today at a press conference, they will express their opinion on the budget cut of the SEC.
However, when we asked the ruling party the VMRO-DPMNE, whether the reduction of the SEC’s budget meant that there won’t be elections this year, for an answer they pointed us in the direction of the Government, because they have an explanation, as for the ruling party’s opinion, they will inform the public later on in the day.
