This was also mentioned in the linked article (translated)
"For a little over a year now, Parliament has passed a law that starts counting these five years from the moment the citizen makes the application for residence. This change can lead to a decrease of up to two years in time for the request.
However, this law was not regulated by the current Government, which, in private conversations, had already signaled did not agree with the five years, much less with the reduced count approved with the new law. Some lawyers claim that the law does not need regulation, but at the same time, many immigrants are unable to make the request within the new law, because there is no regulation. With today’s statement, it is clear that the Government will not regulate the law before leaving the Executive – nor if it is re-elected in May."
Does this effectively mean they’re refusing to honor the initial payment date as the start of the citizenship clock? If so, this is a double whammy.