The budget item for this year 2023 will be higher for the 153 municipal governments of Nicaragua, including the five mayors’ offices that the Ortega regime confiscated from the Ciudadanos por la Libertad (CxL) party last year. According to the official website of Municipal Transfer (Transmuni), the communes They will manage a budget of 22 thousand 128 million 767 thousand 113 córdobaswhich is approximately 605 million dollars.
Open polls, in his report Overseeing Powerpointed out that this budget cut “represents an overall increase of 13.66% over local 2022 budgets which were 19 thousand 467 million 954 thousand 264 córdobas, of which approximately 17 thousand million were executed.
Likewise, he revealed that for this year, 58% of this budget will be destined for the execution of investment projects. For this, the Municipal Investment Program (PIM) increased to 12,762,256,446.00 córdobas, however, this remains to be seen because historically municipalities have not been clear in the categorization of their income and expenses.
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The agency also highlighted that other weaknesses are that the projects to be carried out are not properly detailed, it is not known in which municipalities, “it does not indicate the resources or sources of financing, it does not establish the work-delivery deadlines, and nor does it provide enough information to influence and audit said programs and projects”.
City halls stolen from CxL with more budget
For this 2023, the five mayoralties that were confiscated from the extinct CxL party by order of the Ortega dictatorship, will receive an increase of up to 300% in concept of municipal transfers.
The communes that after being punished for being in the opposition and will now be rewarded by Ortega are those of Santa María de Pantasma, San Sebastián de Yalí and El Cuá, in Jinotega; as well as that of El Almendro, in Río San Juan; and Murra, in Nueva Segovia.
The municipal government of the almond tree is the biggest beneficiary of this increase. For this year, it will handle 19.5 million córdobas in its coffers, compared to 2022, when it barely received 4.5 million, which represents an increase of 328.9%.
In the case of the mayor’s office Saint Mary of Pantasma went from 6.8 to 19.8 million córdobas, that is, 189% more, while that of San Sebastian de Yali This year they will transfer 19.6 million córdobas, 155.9% more than in 2022 when they barely received 7.6 million córdobas.
the commune of the cuá it will receive 23.8 million córdobas, an increase of 169.9% more than in 2022, which was 8.8 million córdobas; and of Murra it will receive 15.6 million córdobas this year, while in 2022 it barely received 5.6 million córdobas.
“Despite these increases, the mayoralties still have not recovered from the harsh financial punishment that the FSLN applied to the municipal governments that it lost in 2018. For example, El Almendro received 24.5 million córdobas in 2017 under the Sandinista administration and by 2018 the government local CxL received just 13 million. On average, all the mayoralties that remained in the hands of the opposition received a 50% reduction in municipal transfers,” said Urnas Abiertas.
other municipalities
The agency’s report also revealed that each municipal government in the country reported an increase between 60 and 80% by 2023.
In addition to the five assaulted municipalities, other municipalities that reported a significant increase in transfers were: La Trinidad 165%, Catarina 120%, San Pedro de Lóvago 118%, El Castillo 105% and Managua 101%. The two governments that received the least increase are in the Autonomous Region of the South Caribbean Coast: Paiwas and La Cruz de Río Grande, with 30% respectively.
According to General Budget of the Republicapproved in November 2022, municipal transfers will amount to 6% this year, which is equivalent to an increase of 79.99%, compared to 2022.
According to information from Transmuni, the total amount of transfers will be 6 thousand 110 million 373 thousand 894 córdobasthat is to say, more than 167 million dollars. “This means that 27.61% of the income budgets of the mayoralties come from municipal transfers (current and capital) that they receive from the Central Government,” said Urnas Abiertas.
