The House of Councillors has approved the first part of the Finance Bill for 2026 with a majority vote today, Thursday. It received support from 38 councillors against 12 who opposed it, while 7 councillors abstained from voting, during a legislative session that lasted over two hours.
After voting on the first part, the second chamber began deliberating the second part of the bill and voting on the supplementary budgets in preparation for the final vote on the entire project.
During the activities of the Finance, Planning, and Economic Development Committee, approximately 227 amendments were presented to the draft legislation, including two amendments proposed by the government and 31 from majority groups. The remainder were from opposition parties. A total of 72 amendments were accepted, 67 were rejected, and 85 were withdrawn.
Majority parties emphasized during the general session on Wednesday their full support for the bill, considering it to complement what was initiated since late 2021 and to align with the implementation of the foundations of the social state.
In contrast, opposition groups claimed that the project reflects the government’s continued orientation, indicating that the adopted measures have failed to enable the executive authority to reach citizens and vulnerable social groups. The opposition called for a general wage increase and a reconsideration of the criteria for benefiting from the social protection project.
