Jobbik initiates referendum on foreigners buying farmland

Budapest, March 2 (MTI) – The opposition Jobbik party submitted a referendum initiative on Wednesday with a view to preventing foreigners from buying Hungarian farmland.

Early last year, the National Election Committee rejected a Jobbik initiative on this subject on the basis that European Union rights belong under international law, Zoltán Magyar told a press conference. Since then, however, the government has claimed the opposite when submitting a referendum imitative on migrant quotas, he added.

Jobbik wants to ask people whether they agree that parliament should request the government to initiate an amendment to EU accession treaties in order to allow only Hungarian citizens who are residents to buy farmland.

In response to a question about an opposition Socialist initiative on land privatisation, he welcomed the fact that it was passed by the election committee and said Jobbik supported it. However, he said that a referendum under the Socialist initiative would only take place in the autumn and by that time all state-owned land would be sold.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters