December 2 (SeeNews) - Albania's parliament has endorsed in the first reading the draft budget for 2017, a parliamentary official said on Friday.
The draft was endorsed in a 80-2 vote with no abstentions in the 140-seat parliament, the official from the parliament's plenary sessions service official told SeeNews by phone.
The draft budget approved by the government on November 4 envisages a deficit of 31.2 billion leks ($245.1 million/230.1 million euro), equivalent to 2% of the projected gross domestic product (GDP), according to the document published on the parliament's website.
The draft budget passed late on Thursday envisages revenue of 436 billion leks, whereas costs are projected at 467.2 billion leks.
In comparison, the 2016 revised consolidated state budget projects revenues of 414.5 billion leks, costs of 450.2 billion leks and a deficit of 35.7 billion leks, according to data from the finance ministry.
The 2017 draft budget projects economic growth of 3.8%. In comparison, Albania's economy is expected to grow between 3.3% and 3.5% in 2016.
Opposition MPs left the session and did not vote, according to local business newspaper Monitor.
The budget has to be approved in the second and final reading scheduled for December 15, the parliament official added.
(1 euro = 135.579 leks)