COSTA RICA NEWS — With the reorganization of the Citizen Action Party (PAC) in their defense of President Solis’s budget for 2015, lines of battle appear clearer. But it shows a certain splitting of party loyalty with only 11 of PAC’s 13 lawmakers going along with fewer cuts.
Both PAC lawmakers Otton Solis and Epsy Campbell who favored higher cuts than the 97 billion colones recommended by the Financial Affairs Committee have signed on while PAC lawmaker Marco Redondo carries the flag for the Administration that the committee’s 1.2% cuts are too large.
Redondo promises to file his own report with the backing of the other 10 PAC representatives, recommending cuts of only 61 billion. These would be solely in travel perks, transferences of funds, food and drink allowances, rents and salary perks.
This indicates that the party is backing away from its all or nothing approach on the budget. The Social Christian Unity party has taken a stance not to vote fewer cuts than the financial committee’s cuts of 97 billion. On the other side is the solid opposition of Broad Front Party to any cuts.
National Liberation Party has been split but now the majority appear to favor budget reduction, siding with the Social Christians. Liberationist Rolando Gonzalez says he feels the Administration has not proved its case that any cuts would hamper functioning of the government.
Meanwhile, so hard pressed has PAC been on the budget issue that its leaders have decided to delay acting on its ethics committee recommendation to suspend the President’s loyalist, Victor Morales for a year. Morales was condemned by the ethics overseers fpr failing to tell candidate screeners about a 1994 accusation of manipulation of public money. The legal complaint was settled out of court.
Article by iNews.co.cr, reposted with permission
