Election: the CENI fully in control of its small budget

   
The HAT´s electoral commission would have apparently slipped from the congress´ fingers, dominated by the pro HAT politicians. Hery Rakotomanana, the president of the CENI, deployed his lawyer’s skills in the defence of what´s left of his institution´s independence. “The electoral commission must be independent in the management of his/her/its financial means. It cannot be compared to the Interior ministry because the CENI is stemming from the civil society”, he pleaded.   
The argument didn’t necessarily deter the HAT´s deputies. According to Hery Rakotomanana, entrusting the management of the CENI´s resources into a political institution, namely to the transitional convention, is coming up to a an attempt against its independence. “Only supervision must be reinforced”, he declared to the ruling power´s convention.   
This will to keep the financial grip over the CENI is part of an allegation, according to which, a lot of money would be on the table, namely for the commission´s members. “We have no outstanding wage “, argued Hery Rakotomanana. On the political plan, the HAT´s deputies are using a technical pretext in order to remove the management of its finances from the CENI. The commission actually manages its finances through simplified accounting and not according to the rules of public accounting.   
Procedures   
The Finance minister pushed however for the CENI. “These funds have been allocated in order to organize elections quickly, the procedure should not be hindered”, argued Hery Rajaonarimampianina. The HAT´s minister of the checker tolerated the simplified accounting procedures and pledged the reforms of market transfers and expense management.   
“The CENI is being accepted as independent and autonomous, but it is all about public funds, Having one or another accounting mode is not the issue ” moderated Hery Rajaonarimampianina.. The HAT´s finance minister is holding the market transfer and expense management modes as essential. “There would be no hurdle in the organization of elections, could these procedures be respected”, he insisted.   
Minister Rajaonarimampianina argues that the market transfer mode has to be respected whenever public funds are on the table, but remains willing to make an exception for the CENI. “Suppliers of ballot papers´ printing machines are not a legion. The elections are not immediately going to take place, they will be on September at the earliest, there is still time to apply procedures”.   
In the year 2011´s state finance plan, some 40 billions of ariary are being to the organization of 4 elections. 2,3 billions of ariary have already been transferred on the CENI´s account, and used to manufacture the electoral registers and to mobilize voters. The HAT has the means to organize in 2011 the presidential, the legislative, the local and the regional elections, theoretically speaking.