Jobbik gathers sufficient support for parlt session on election law

Budapest (MTI) – The Jobbik party has collected the required number of signatures to initiate a special session of parliament for August 22 to discuss amending Hungary’s election law with a view to making it easier for Hungarians working or studying abroad to vote.

The initiative has been supported by altogether 45 lawmakers, including 17 Jobbik MPs, 22 Socialist deputies, five MPs of the green opposition LMP, as well as by independent lawmaker Tímea Szabó, Jobbik told MTI on Monday.

Initiatives for convening a special parliamentary session requires support by one fifth of all MPs, namely 40 deputies. The house committee is expected to discuss the agenda for the extraordinary session on Thursday.

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Representatives of ruling Fidesz, Jobbik and LMP met last week for talks on the possibility of changing the election law to allow Hungarians working or studying abroad to vote by mail. The meeting was initiated by Jobbik. Under the current election rules, Hungarians who have a permanent address in the country but are abroad on the day of an election or referendum can only vote at a Hungarian embassy or consular office near them, while ethnic Hungarians living beyond the border can vote by mail.

Fidesz last week rejected the proposal to amend the election law saying that the current law is “coherent and has stood scrutiny by international organisations such as the European Court of Human Rights and the Venice Commission”. Group leader Lajos Kósa also said after the talks that amending the election law at this point would make it impossible to hold the migrant quota referendum on Oct 2 as planned.

Source: MTI