Eight budget items assigned to municipalities, four ministries, the Police, the Army, and the Supreme Court of Justice, concentrate more than half of the additional income expected between 2022 and 2023, according to the initial projects of the General Budget of the Republic for both years.
The 2022 Budget (approved in November 2021), contemplated capturing total income of 91,542.5 million córdobas, while the exercise for 2023 (approved in November 2022), raises this item by 20.2%, up to 109,989.5 million córdobas, that is, an additional 18,447 million córdobas.
A comparison of both initial budget calculations shows that the eight items mentioned (the mayoralties as a whole, plus the Police, the Army, the Court, and the ministries of Education, Health, Finance, and Transportation and Infrastructure), will receive 54.2 % of those resources, that is, 9999.1 million córdobas.
2545.2 million for the Treasury
After the mayoralties, whose general budget increased by 79.9% compared to the previous year now that they are all under FSLN control, the Ministry of Finance is the one that sees the percentage of resources to be administered grow the most in 2023, going from 1,597.8 million allocated for 2022, to 2,545.2 million in 2023.
This addition of 947.4 million (37.2% more) to the Treasury, largely responds to the decision to deliver a total of 1,203.5 million córdobas for the development of various projects, of which 1,198 million come from external funds.
This includes, among others, improvements to health units in Rivas, Boaco, Granada, Masaya, and three in Managua, financed with one hundred million córdobas contributed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).
The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) contributed 316 million to improve roads and a beekeeping project, while another 100 million córdobas will be allocated, contributed by the World Bank, to repair houses and roads damaged by hurricanes Eta and Iota in November 2020.
Additionally, the Ministry of Finance was entrusted with another 687.5 million córdobas (some 450 million contributed by CABEI, with 228.5 million from the World Bank and 3.5 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), for transportation and computer equipment, as well as capital transfers.
C$ 8.7 billion for highways
The Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (MTI) receives 9,177.6 million córdobas, that is, 2,428.6 million (26.4%), more than the 6,749.0 million received in 2022. Of the figure assigned for the current year, a little more than 8,701.1 Millions are planned to be used for road construction and maintenance of the road network.
That includes 177 new kilometers of roads on the paved road network; the rehabilitation, improvement and expansion of 25 kilometers of paved roads, as well as the construction of 290 linear meters of bridges built, reconstructed, or rehabilitated.
The resources are destined to finance works in the ports of Bluefields and Corinto; construction or improvement of highways between Yalí and Condega; Free San Francisco – Los Zarzales; Rosita and Bonanza; Ticuantepe and Nejapa, among many other projects spread throughout the country, financed by OPEC, CABEIthe World Bank, Japanese cooperation, the IDB, and the Treasury of the Republic.
C$ 700 million more for police and military
Among the repressive apparatuses, the Police and the Army go from 7,063.3 million in 2022 to 7,766.8 million.
In the case of the Police, the Treasury reveals that a total of 1,802 million (41.8% of the 4,311 million assigned), will be used to pay the salaries of 17,131 people, including 11,444 agents assigned to “prevention and citizen security”. and 2,097 who work in the national headquarters. There are more personnel assigned to “Protection of Personalities” (1,262) than to “Investigation and Police Intelligence”, which only has 1,108.
More broadly, the “Personal Services” category has 2,853.4 million (66.2%, which includes the aforementioned 1,802 million for salaries of permanent personnel), to which is added the payment of temporary personnel; contributions to the INSS, the thirteenth month, remuneration for location and seniority, and compensation for work accidents.
Another 303 million córdobas will be used to replace, improve and equip police units throughout the country.
For its part, the Army will allocate 2,135.8 million córdobas (that is, 61.8% of the 3,455.8 million assigned for this year) to the heading “Personal Services”, which includes 1,492.4 million, to guarantee the salary of 15,705 enlisted people. within the category “Permanent Personnel”.
They reduce allocations to CSE, Mefcca and Marena
As every year, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education receive the largest budget allocations: 21,674.9 million and 15,868.1 million respectively, although their increases are almost the last of the eight privileged in 2023. Thus, while the Minsa receives a 8.9% additional, the Mined has an increase of only 4.7%.
In comparison, the Supreme Court of Justice received an additional 538.4 million (12.8% more), while the Army also received an increase of 12.8%. The National Police received an extra 6.1%.
At the other end of the accounting balance, there were three entities that received less resources than those assigned in the previous budget, beginning with the Supreme Electoral Council, which saw its funds decrease by almost one billion, because it went from 1,823.1 to 832.9 million between 2022. and 2023, after fulfilling his role as rector of the municipal electoral farce from last year.
The Ministry of Family, Community, Cooperative and Associative Economy (Mefcca), went from 959.9 million in 2022, to 765.2 million in 2023, while the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Marena), saw its allocation decrease by 22.5 million, going from 291.4 million last year, to 268.9 at present.
