Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych has signed a law amending the state budget for 2010 to increase funding for the local elections by UAH 8.5 million.
As reported, the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine’s parliament, passed the law on September 23.
An explanatory note to the bill drafted by the Cabinet of Ministers said that according to the 2010 state budget, expenditures under the budget-funded program, entitled "Management and administration in the sphere of conducting elections and referendums," was UAH 37 million. However, according to the calculations of the Central Election Commission, an additional UAH 8.5 million was required.
The government said that expenditures under the budget-funded program were designed only for the maintenance of the Central Election Commission and did not include costs linked to preparations for and the conduct of the local elections, in particular, the payments of wages to commission experts during the electoral process, fees for the production and delivery of regulatory acts to territorial election commissions, as well as the payment of services for the development and support of the Local Elections information and analytical system, etc.
The local elections in Ukraine are scheduled for October 31.
