The Mozambican parliament approved the 2024 budget plan and spending estimates (PESOE), despite opposition complaints about last-minute changes.
The ruling Frelimo party’s 165 deputies voted in favour of the budget on its first reading, while all 37 opposition deputies from Renamo and the Mozambique Democratic Movement (MDM) voted against it. Opposition deputy Fernando Bismarque accused the government of suddenly altering the budget right before the vote, distributing a different document to deputies than what was originally proposed. He said the changes increased projected public spending significantly from the original 542.7 billion meticais (around $8.5 billion).
For example, the health budget jumped from 5.5% to over 14% of the total budget. The opposition argued deputies could not properly evaluate the revised budget before voting. The government defended the changes as necessary updates. Frelimo has enough seats to pass the budget without opposition support.
Read the original article here: https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-assembly-approves-budget-for-2024-aim-report-250437/