Election 2018 – Jobbik leader pledges anti-graft measures

Jobbik has pledged to implement various measures to combat corruption if it wins power in Sunday’s election.

Planned measures include abolishing the immunity of lawmakers and introducing double punishment for graft, Gábor Vona, the people’s patriotic party’s leader, told a press conference on Wednesday.

Document secrecy would be lifted in corruption cases, and lawmakers and government members would have to undergo an assessment of their wealth at the start and the end of the four-year governing cycle, he said. Further, Jobbik would abolish the statute of limitations in the case of criminal graft.

Further, a special prosecutor’s office would investigate corruption and Hungary would immediately signal its intention to join the EU’s prosecution office, Vona said.

In connection with Sunday’s ballot, Vona said at least 70 percent turnout would be needed to replace the incumbent government.

He said Jobbik would not withdraw any of its candidates in favour of others from the opposition. If Jobbik fails to win a majority, the party would consider cooperating only with the green LMP party, Vona said.

He was asked to comment on party lawmaker Márton Gyöngyösi pledging in an interview to the European Security Journal to grant asylum to Syrian nationals arriving in Hungary.

Vona responded as saying that international treaties must be observed by every government, adding, however, that Jobbik would not allow immigrants to settle in Hungary either in secret, under a residency bond scheme or under EU migrant quotas.

Ruling Fidesz said in response that Jobbik and its leader were implicated in Hungary’s largest scale political corruption scandal. “Jobbik is by far the most corrupt party; it has been bought up by a billionaire,” Fidesz said, accusing Jobbik of using businessman Lajos Simicska’s money “to bribe” other opposition candidates into withdrawing in favour of Jobbik in the April 8 ballot.

Featured image: MTI

Source: MTI