Fidesz group leader: Hungary must function despite pandemic

Hungary has to function despite the coronavirus pandemic, and the ruling parties will ensure the best conditions to fight the spread of the disease, Máté Kocsis, the ruling Fidesz party’s parliamentary group leader, said on Thursday.

Speaking to a press conference after the first meeting of the ruling parties’ parliamentary groups ahead of the autumn season, Kocsis said Fidesz and the Christian Democrats had to ensure “the parliamentary background for the protection efforts”.

During the first wave of the epidemic, the leftist opposition did not vote for the protection measures, nor did they support prolonging the state of emergency, Kocsis said. Instead, “they tried to discredit the Hungarian health-care system with fake videos, and vilified Hungary abroad,” he said.

Kocsis said that according to the National Consultation survey regarding the epidemic, Hungarians expected the government to handle the second wave differently to the first. The economic measures will henceforth focus on “making the country function”, on protecting jobs and ensuring that kindergartens and schools stay open, he said.