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Parliament approved the 2022 budget with a 63-vote majority Monday night, a little more than three months before the end of the year. According to the National News Agency, 37 MPs voted against the budget while 6 abstained. 

The head of the Finance and Budget Committee, Ibrahim Kanaan, told L'Orient Today that the exchange rate used to calculate the budget was set at LL15,000, though it is still unclear how the rate is applied. 

Reuters reported that the budget expenditures amount to a little less than LL41 trillion while revenues amount to a little less than LL30 trillion. The yearly deficit is therefore slightly over LL10 trillion.

The salaries of public employees — including security forces, retirees and contractors — were increased threefold by Parliament, provided each raise ranges between LL5 million and LL12 million. According to the NNA, these salary increases are a temporary solution and will not be calculated into employees' end-of-term compensations.