Election Committee rejects referendum initiatives concerning Paks upgrade

The National Election Committee on Tuesday threw out three referendum initiatives concerning the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant.

The referendum questions were proposed by co-leaders of the green opposition LMP party Bernadett Szél and Ákos Hadházy.

The first question read: “Do you agree that a new nuclear block should not be built in Hungary before parliament passes legislation concerning the final storage of spent, high radiation fuel rods?” The committee rejected the initiative saying that it would impact an international agreement. They also said it was “misleading” because “it appears to concern storage, while in fact it is aimed at thwarting the upgrade”.

The second question would have read “Do you agree that the combined output of nuclear blocks in Hungary should not exceed 2,000 MW?” The committee again said that the question would be in conflict with an international agreement, adding that it was also misleading, because it suggests that a referendum could thwart the Paks upgrade. The committee noted that a referendum held now would be binding for parliament until 2021, while the planned new blocks at Paks will not be completed until 5 years later.