Orbán’s cabinet seeks to eliminate ‘business parties’ in 2018 election

Budapest, March 2 (MTI) – The government will submit an amendment aimed at restricting the election law, under which parties failing to garner a certain percentage of the votes will be obliged to reimburse their campaign subsidy to the central budget, daily Magyar Idők reported on Thursday.

Gergely Gulyás, deputy group leader of ruling Fidesz, told the paper that the 2014 election campaign had seen a number of “business parties” which were entitled to a state subsidy despite having “no meaningful activities”. Up to 2016, those parties had drawn a total 630 million forints (EUR 3m) from the central budget, and though they were fined a combined 2 billion forints, only 2 percent of that grand total has been collected, the paper quoted Gulyás as saying.

Hungary currently has over 100 registered parties and as next year’s election draws near, there may be a proliferation of new parties with several organizations and movements having indicated their intention to become parties, Magyar Idők suggested.

Fidesz is planning to have five-party talks on the proposal and submit the motion to parliament before the end of its spring season, Gulyás told the paper.

Photo: MTI

Source: MTI