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Government set to spend $10.6 million on local elections

A total of 100 billion rubels ($10.6 million) is earmarked for the March 2014 elections for local soviets of deputies in a spending plan approved by the central election commission at its meeting on December 17.

Of the amount, 60.3 billion rubels will be spent for paying the election staff. Logistical expenses are projected at 30.2 billion, the travel expenses of election officials at 3.6 billion, and other expenses at 5.8 billion rubels.

A total of 1.3 billion rubels will be provided for holding a repeat election in Electoral District No. 36 in Homyel, where the only candidate on the ballot failed to gain more than 50 percent of the vote in the House of Representatives elections in September 2012.

According to the central election commission, 26,103.8 million rubels ($8.7 million) was spent out of the national budget on the December 2010 presidential election, and 73 billion rubels ($8.6 million) was spent on the parliamentary elections in September 2012.

A total of 19.5 billion rubels ($6.8 million) was to be provided for Belarus' previous local elections, which were held in April 2010. //BelaPAN