PM party to hold demonstration on referendum day despite election committee decision

Budapest, September 29 (MTI) – The opposition Dialogue for Hungary (PM) party will go ahead and hold a demonstration on Oct. 2, the day of the national referendum on EU migrant quotas, despite the National Election Committee’s (NVB) decision to ban the event, Tímea Szabó, the party’s co-leader, said on Thursday.

In its Wednesday decision, NVB stated that PM had breached the election procedures law by calling a political rally for the day of a national ballot.

The demonstration called for Sunday afternoon on the square in front of Parliament qualifies as a political rally, the committee said.

The complaint against the party’s planned event had been submitted by two people, including Gergely Gulyás, deputy leader of ruling Fidesz, who acted as a private individual in the case.

Addressing a press conference, Szabó insisted that PM would not hold a political rally but a demonstration to protest against the government’s “hate campaign, which holds the public in fear”. She called the NBV as a “lackey” of Fidesz rhat seeks to prevent the event with a “false legal argument”.