House Plenary rejects state budget for 2021

House Plenary on Thursday rejected the 2021 state budget, by 29 votes against to 24 in favour.

The Government now will have to submit another budget bill in January when Parliament reconvenes after the Christmas holidays.

Akel, Diko, Edek, the Green Party, the Citizens Alliance and Independent MP Anna Theologou rejected the budget while DISY, Solidarity Movement, the Democratic Cooperation, and Elam voted in favour.

The budget would have required 50 per cent or more of the votes of the Parliamentarians.

Finance Minister Constantinos Petrides said, after the rejection, that the Government will table a new budget before the Parliament in January.

Despite the rejection, the MPs passed a decision for contingency expenditures, known as ‘twelfths’, for the month of January, so that the State can function.

These expenditures cannot exceed the spending of the corresponding month of the previous year.