Ordinarily, in an election year, the full budget for the next fiscal year is not presented because the outcome of the elections is unknown.
The winner of the elections must have the mandate of the people to govern and derive authorization to spend.
Therefore, the provisions of the Constitution and the Public Financial Management Act allow for a request to spend on statutory obligations, such as emoluments of public sector workers, debt services, and other strategic expenditures, in the first quarter of the following year- in this case, 2025.
This is referred to as expenditure in advance of appropriation, which must be approved by Parliament before December 31 of the election year, i.e., December 31, 2024.