A problem that has been highlighted by the Fiscal Council is the deterioration of the institutionality of the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF) to prevent Congress from approving spending initiatives, which have put the sustainability of public finances at risk.
A statement from the MEF made public that the 2025 Public Budget Law “included measures (from Congress) for S/3,800 million without having the corresponding financing.”
The Minister of Economy and Finance, Denisse Miralles, said, however, that the 2026 budget prioritizes fiscal sustainability, and avoids unfunded provisions; guaranteeing the continuity of essential services and greater efficiency in the use of public resources.
“Our goal is that every sol of the budget is used in a responsible and sustainable manner,” said the head of the MEF.
The MEF clarified that, during the budget debate in Congress for the approval of the 2026 Budget Law, 1,608 investment projects were discussed. However, only 619 were prioritized for having technical feasibility.
They indicated that this “rigorous selection” responds to the commitment to avoid measures without financial support. What was not indicated is how much of the projects Congress could have included, nor what was sacrificed in their replacement.
Scholarship Program
The MEF recalled that the 2026 opening budget amounts to S/257,562 million, with an increase of 2.3% compared to the PIA 2025, that is, an additional S/5,800 million.
He maintained that the expansion of the budget at the three levels of government focuses on education, health, transportation and sanitation. He detailed that at the level of the National Government, the 2026 Budget reinforces the commitment to higher education and the development of talent, allocating more than S/17,000 million to the Ministry of Education, above the Health and Security Sectors.
He indicated that of this amount, S/1,340 million were allocated to guarantee the continuity and sustainability of the scholarship program, also empowering the Minedu to make budget modifications during the fiscal year if necessary to ensure its financing; in addition to allocating an additional S/50 million to expand the offer of scholarships.
Likewise, S/568 million will be allocated to complete the 75 Bicentennial Schools in progress and start 17 new ones of this same program.
Citizen security
The MEF detailed that, in terms of citizen security, regional and local governments were authorized to allocate up to 20% of the mining canon, excess canon and royalties to prevention and fight against crime actions, under the guidelines of the Ministry of the Interior.
At the national level, the public order and citizen security function will have more than S/15,000 million.
Finally, he specified that the 2026 Budget guarantees the electoral process, assigning S/390 million to the JNE and S/1,188 million to the ONPE to ensure the development of national and subnational elections.
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