Control body suggests to the INE to request the “strictly necessary” budget

Fabiola Martinez

Newspaper La Jornada
Sunday, August 28, 2022, p. 6

The Internal Control Body (OIC) of the National Electoral Institute (INE) suggested to the directors and advisers of this body to generate a methodology to make more efficient, effective and transparent your spending project, in order to transcend the inertia recorded up to now of overbudgetingas well as to be an institution empathic with the demand for the rational use of public resources, reads a 193-page report prepared alongside the 2023 draft budget.

During the five years 2018-2022, the INE has requested 81 thousand 358.5 million pesos. If compared to other institutions, the UNAM budget for this year is 48 thousand 802 million; Likewise, it would correspond to almost 10 years of spending by the UAM, which now has 8 thousand 138 million. The budget of the National Institute of Respiratory Diseases is one thousand 27 million this year, and that of the Ministry of Culture, 15 thousand million. Likewise, the INE request would be equivalent to almost four years of resources from the Youth Building the Future program, which has 21 thousand 196 million.

The INE has a general budget of 18 thousand 827 million for 2022, and for the coming year it requests 14 thousand 437 million for spending, plus 4 billion as an amount precautionaryin case you have to organize a citizen consultation.

At least half of all the money delivered to the electoral arbitrator – already discounting the cuts applied by the Chamber of Deputies – is used to fund salaries and other labor obligations for a staff of around 18,000 workers, including here the structure of advisers for each counselor, some with net salaries of up to 108 thousand pesos per month.

The authorities of the institute usually argue that labor benefits are protected by the Constitution and the laws; They also argue that they are specialized personnel and that the public resources granted represent a minimum percentage within the entire Expenditure Budget of the Federation.

According to the OIC compendium, most of the expenses result in the weight of the payroll; For example, the fund to improve citizen service modules received this year only 12 percent of what the labor trust obtained.

The report includes an extensive list of items for this year, to name a few: 2 thousand 26 million pesos for guaranteed compensation808 million for end of year bonus131.6 million quotas for medical expenses insurance for civilian personnel and 306.9 million as quotas for individualized separation insurance.

In addition, 31.1 million as additional salary allowances10.6 million as five-year premium for years of service rendered43.8 million deposits for solidarity savings4.2 million for expenses for food of commanding public servants and 846 thousand pesos for travel abroadas well as 756 thousand pesos for international air tickets for public servants.

The approved budget also reads: 4.8 million for congresses, 10 million for payment of other advice for the operation of programs1.3 million for the application of covid tests and 486 thousand pesos for sports articles.

Sub-exercise

The document signed by the head of the OIC, Jesús George Zamora, emphasizes that the INE must request resources strictly necessaryduly supported with the calculation reports and with criteria of legality, honesty, efficiency, effectiveness, economy, rationality, austerity, transparency, control and accountability.

The OIC details variations in different areas of the INE, for which constant refunds have had to be made to the Federal Treasury; it also mentions savings and savings in 94 percent of the agency’s projects. At the same time – despite cuts – it has not stopped making contributions for more than 2 thousand 166 million pesos, in that five years, to institutional trusts.

At the same time, the general council of the INE approved the opening of 36 positions for the current year, including 14 for senior management, as well as an increase from 116 to 138 original projects.

The OIC warns that the INE does not use all the resources approved year after year in the spending chapters.

In conclusion, it is essential to generate budget decisions solidly supported by technical and methodological elements and with the broadest documentary support that allows society to verify the reasonableness of each peso requested by the INE..