LMP leader announces resignation – UPDATE

Budapest, May 31 (MTI) – András Schiffer, the founder and leader of the green opposition LMP party, has announced his resignation.

Schiffer informed the party’s board about his decision on Monday evening, the politician told news portal index.hu.

He told the portal in an interview that he has resigned from the post of party co-chair as of June 1 and will return his parliamentary mandate as of August 31.

In his interview, Schiffer said that “the current parliamentary cycle has clearly demonstrated that we do not have the intellectual atmosphere for politics critical of the system”. He referred to the “sad fact” that in neighbouring countries civil movements had a “much stronger footing”. “This country has not had a blasted general strike since 1989,” he added.

“Whatever a party can do, LMP has done,” Schiffer said. “We have made it clear what LMP rejects from the past 25 years. We have not succeeded in (demonstrating) what we want in the next 25 years,” he added, and suggested that the current party politics and parliamentary conditions may not be suitable for that. “That is what I would like to change in future,” Schiffer said.

Schiffer said he would not participate in any elections in 2018-19. He said he would go back to his previous profession and work as an attorney but remain a member of LMP. He said he would assist the party in its future activities through a foundation.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters