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”.

The PM party will appeal the decision in the Kúria, Hungary’s supreme court, she said.

Meanwhile, the opposition Socialists have called a demonstration at the office building of the National Election Committee near Parliament for Saturday morning to protest against Fidesz’s “direct control” over the body. The party has invited every democratic opposition party that agree with the Socialists to join.

The Socialists said earlier that they cancelled their “Family Day” gathering planned for Oct. 2 in central Budapest so that Fidesz should not be in a position to blame them for a possible failure of the migrant quota referendum.

Source: MTI