Africa-Press – Cape verde. The vice-president of the direction of the MpD Parliamentary Group, Celso Ribeiro, accused this Tuesday, 28th, in the city of Praia, the PAICV of failing the proposed law that establishes the bases of the municipal budget to “cover up illegalities” of the mayor praiense, Francisco Carvalho.“How is it possible that seven PAICV Municipal Chambers are in favor of this Bill, namely: Boa Vista, Mosteiros, Ribeira Grande de Santiago, Santa Cruz, São Domingos, São Filipe, Tarrafal de Santiago. At the same time, we are extremely surprised by the lack of favorable positioning from the largest municipality in the country. Why is that?” he asked.
“The PAICV acted in this way to support and to cover up the mayor of Praia in what has been a wrong practice and contrary to 30 years of local power. He voted against it on a partisan whim, harming the country, just to cover up illegalities committed by the mayor of Praia. Once again he demonstrated a lack of commitment to the process of local government autonomy and the principles and values of democracy”, said the official.
Celso Ribeiro spoke at a press conference to inform Cape Verdean society that PAICV failed, last Friday, the Proposed Law that establishes the Bases of the Municipal Budget, an instrument that the parliamentarian considered to be “fundamental” for the reform of Local Power and financial decentralization “so desired by Municipalities”.
“It is important to clarify to the public that the Proposed Law that establishes the Bases of the Municipal Budget (Specialty Discussion and Global Final Vote) received votes against from PAICV and UCID. The PAICV failed the Law Proposal by voting against four fundamental and structuring articles for this diploma, articles 28, 37, 40 and 41. The fundamental difference and, from our point of view, illegal and which caused the collision course lay only in the understandings regarding the terms appreciation and approval”, he highlighted.
According to Celso Ribeiro, MpD regrets that, by failing this proposal, the PAICV and the UCID chose to oppose the autonomy of municipalities, transparency and democracy, and also found the UCID strange for associating itself with the largest opposition party that classified as “negativist opposition”.
The MpD bench considers that the Chamber, as it is a collegiate body, must approve and not appreciate, in fact, he stressed, “what happens even in a Board of Directors in any company, the Board of Directors approves before submitting to the Assembly meeting -general shareholders”.
“And we ask if they do not approve how and who to hold responsible for the execution, evaluation, control of the budget and, strangely, the PAICV approved this article in the document which is article number 1 (object)”, said Celso Ribeiro.
By voting against these articles, he stressed, the PAICV made the Law unfeasible, which was withdrawn by the proponent, as it would be incomplete and defective. However, the PAICV Parliamentary Group, according to Celso Ribeiro, maintains that the Municipal Budget should not require approval, but should only be assessed by the Municipal Council.
Accepting such a PAICV proposal would immediately have three serious consequences, according to the vice-president of the MpD Parliamentary Group: preventing the Municipal Assembly from rejecting the Budget presented, even in contravention of the Law.
“The lack of legal consequences for non-approval/appreciation prevents debate and consequently modification of items regarding expenses and revenues, even if illegal”, he indicated.
“It creates institutional instability, eliminates political control of expenses and revenues in the field of organic classification, which would be a real financial blackout, it would be the third consequence”, as cited by Celso Ribeiro.
According to him, Proposed Law No. /X/2023 which establishes the bases of the municipal budget, in addition to implementing the Constitution of the Republic when it provides that local authorities are provided with a Budget Bases Law, (item n) of the article 176, would allow greater coordination and articulation between Municipal Finances and State Finances.
The proposal intended to introduce new budgetary principles, arising from the Basic Law of the National Planning System and the Basic Law of the State Budget, and represented, according to the party that supports the Government, “a crucial innovation for Cape Verde, a strong consolidation of Municipal Power, and reaffirmed the political will also expressed by mayors of the need to better regulate the process and procedure of Municipal Budgeting”.
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