EP elections – LMP, Momentum, Jobbik campaign in western Europe

The opposition LMP, Momentum and Jobbik parties recently wrapped up campaigns in London, Munich and Vienna, respectively, calling on Hungarians living there to take part in the European Parliament elections, the top candidates of Momentum and Jobbik said on Monday.

Jobbik’s Márton Gyöngyösi told a press conference he held jointly with Momentum‘s Katalin Cseh that at stake in the May 26 election was whether Hungarians would allow Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to “drive Hungary out of the European Union and isolate Hungary within the community of European states, turning it into a lagging, impoverished country”.

Gyöngyösi said

Europeans needed to engage in “quality debates” on the reform of the EU, warning against the dangers of “circles organised by Viktor Orbán, among others, tearing down the bloc”.

Asked about Jobbik potentially cooperating with other opposition parties, Gyöngyösi said there would be more room for coordinating and working together with the other parties in the autumn local elections, adding that his party was ready to do so.

Cseh said some half a million Hungarians had moved abroad over the past ten years because they had been unhappy with the job Fidesz had done in government. She said this was reflected in Fidesz having received less than 10 percent of the vote among London-based Hungarians in last year’s general election while LMP, Momentum and Jobbik had won a combined two-thirds of the vote.

Cseh said

Hungary should strive to attract back Hungarians who had moved to western Europe, work to improve its education and health-care systems and guarantee fair wages for workers.

On the topic of inter-party cooperation, she said opposition MEPs “who side with Europe against Orbán” would have a duty to work together and present a joint position on issues relating to the state of the rule of law in Hungary.

Source: MTI