Chișinău budget fight: PAS slams Ceban's 'antisocial' draft
Disputes over the Chișinău municipal budget for 2025 continue, following the Party of Action and Solidarity (PAS) faction in the Municipal Council criticizing the draft proposed by Mayor Ion Ceban, calling it "antisocial and electoral."
PAS representatives are requesting modifications and invited the mayor for discussions this afternoon. Ceban accepted the invitation and says he is open to dialogue.
The PAS faction in the CMC mentioned during a press conference several requests for budget modifications.
"The PAS faction wants to vote for the budget, but not just any budget. We want a budget for the people, one that addresses the problems of Chișinău residents. I reiterate our essential requests: supplementing the budget for extended-hours groups [at schools/kindergartens], so that parents will not have to pay in the autumn, fair funding for the personal assistance service, direct support for vulnerable families, real investments in public transport, and in schools facing space shortages," said the president of the PAS faction in the CMC, Zinaida Popa.
Zinaida Popa emphasized that the capital's mayor is expected to attend discussions on the municipal budget for 2025, "with commitment and openness to collaboration": "Let's prioritize the budget wisely and correctly. Together let's make Chișinău more comfortable and European. We invite you for discussions this afternoon."
Subsequently, at another press conference, Chișinău Mayor Ion Ceban mentioned that he agrees to hold discussions on the matter: "Very well. We even agreed today that we will meet this afternoon. I am at the City Hall every day, so they could have stopped by anytime to discuss this."
Furthermore, the capital's mayor announced the convening of the Chișinău Municipal Council for Thursday, May 15. The agenda for the meeting will also include the examination of the municipal budget draft for 2025.
It is worth noting that, in the absence of a consensus between the City Hall and the CMC, the city operates on a provisional budget adopted by the mayor general. Both PSRM and PAS accuse the City Hall of mismanagement and intentionally blocking the budget approval, while MAN - the party led by the capital's mayor - claims that the CMC meetings are politically manipulated.
Given that the Municipal Council did not approve the budget within the legal timeframe, the City Hall adopted a provisional budget on January 2 by the mayor general's order. This budget sets revenues at 8.17 billion lei and expenditures at 8.75 billion lei, with a deficit of 580 million lei.
This is not the first time Chișinău is left without an approved budget. Last year, the municipal budget was voted on as late as August 1, 2024, although it should have been approved in December 2023.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
