Councilors of the government coalition refused to vote on the new loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) proposed by the Municipality of Montevideo. Meanwhile, the Broad Front claims that the National Party had given its word that it was going to vote on the day.
The white departmental legislators affirm that the Broad Front did not comply with the formal procedures and asks that the pro-government caucus make the adjustments to be able to vote on the Monday. The nationalist mayor Javier Barrios Bove pointed out that the Broad Front violates procedures of the Departmental Board, and that in this way they will not support the project.
“The National Party will accompany this loan because it is the loan that the National Party obtained. He got that 11,500 more Montevideans have sanitation,” he said in statements to Underlined (channel 10), comparing it with the initial project that Caroline Cosse had proposed earlier in the year. At that moment “only 2,500 people they would have had sanitation,” he said.
Meanwhile, the coordinator of the Frente Amplio bench, Patricia Soria, told the newscast that the National Party does not keep its word, because he recalled that there was an agreement to vote on the project this Thursday. However, the front supporters expressed surprise because the benches of the Colorado and Nacional parties want to postpone the vote.
The Broad Front will agree and try to vote for it on Monday, since if it puts it up for consideration this Thursday, it is estimated that it will not have the necessary votes.
For Barrios Bove, the Broad Front “has not complied with the formal procedures of the National Board of Accounts” and “must be postponed until Monday” when the project can “comply with all the guarantees of the case.”
“The procedures must be followed and not run with the poncho,” said the nationalist mayor.
The new IDB loan
On July 14, 2022, the municipality announced the proposal for a new IDB loan, within the framework of the fourth stage of the Montevideo Urban Sanitation Program. Although this time it will be used only for sanitation works, the amount will be the same: US$ 70 million plus a counterpart of US$ 12.3 million in charge of the administration.
Given this presentation, the bench of ediles of the Colorado Party proposed the creation of a bipartite commission to monitor the mentioned program, “with the objective of carrying out an effective follow-up of the expenses, investments, progress of the program; as well as having access to all the information available for proper control”, said a statement issued on Monday.
The departmental executive agreed to this request. Therefore, the red bank stated that it would be “in a position to vote on the project” if, in addition, the plan presented by the administration is maintained.
“If the works and investments are maintained as they were presented on July 14 of the present and if the Bipartite Commission of the IDB Loan is constituted within the framework of the Montevideo Urban Sanitation Program, Stage VI, The undersigned Councilors would be in a position to vote on the Draft Decree that the Intendancy submits to the consideration of the Departmental Board of Montevideo, this year”assured the bench.
In April, the only two votes that had supported the Frente Amplio administration were from the Colorado Ciudadanos sector: Tulio Tartaglia Y Gustavo Facciola. However, the statement referred to above is also signed by Leonel Aguirre (Tercera Vía) and Matías Barreto (Batllistas).
