The Parliament of the Maldives has approved the USD3 billion state budget for 2023. The Parliament passed the budget with 61 parliamentarians voting in favour and eight votes against.
The Parliamentary Budget Committee, formed by combining the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Affairs and the Parliamentary Committee on Finance, approved the USD3 billion budget with an increase of USD10 million. The main changes in the budget include development projects in some sectors and changes in the budget of independent institutions.
During the debate on the committee’s report on the budget, some parliamentarians expressed concerns that the budget would not fulfill the promises made to the public, state-owned companies turning into private businesses, and the government not receiving the estimated amount of free aid and foreign exchange.
Meanwhile, the parliamentarians who spoke in favour said that the budget will achieve equitable development for the citizens and that the budget is a promising one for the future of the country as the government has taken important steps to fulfill its promises to the public and overcome economic challenges.
Minister of Finance Ibrahim Ameer has said that the main objective of next year's budget is to fulfill the pledges made by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to the public. He said the project will facilitate the resolution of many basic issues that have not been resolved for a long time and improve the quality of services needed by the public.