Ruling alliance lawmakers walk out of national security committee meeting

Lawmakers of allied ruling Fidesz and Christian Democrats walked out of a meeting of parliament’s national security committee focusing on the “risks posed by the Soros Plan and the Soros network”, on Thursday. The committee’s Socialist head said he would send a letter to US financier George Soros, asking him to provide information about the plan.

The walkout came in protest against the presence of Bernadett Szél, co-leader of green opposition LMP and a member of the committee. As a consequence, the meeting lacked a quorum.

Speaking to reporters, Szilárd Németh, the deputy head of the committee for Fidesz, confirmed his party’s position that Szél, who is also LMP’s candidate for prime minister, was not welcome at the meeting because she and her party served the interests of US financier George Soros.

Szél said lawmakers of the governing parties “thwarted” the meeting, adding that she would appeal to Parliamentary Speaker László Kövér and the justice committee over the matter.

Zsolt Molnár, the head of the committee for the opposition Socialists, said Fidesz had made an “impossible” proposal on “banning” Szél from the meeting.

Photo: MTI

Opening the event, Molnár said the meeting had been initiated by its members representing the Socialists, LMP and radical nationalist Jobbik to query lawmakers of the governing parties about the so-called Soros Plan. He noted that the authorities had failed to prove the very existence of such plan at any meeting of the committee over the past two years. The committee was scheduled to hear the prime minister on the matter today but Viktor Orbán did not turn up for the event. The prime minister’s office said Orbán had no reason to attend since his cabinet’s designated ministers had already provided all information in connection with the matter, he said.

“Orban’s absence demonstrates that there is no evidence proving the existence of the so-called Soros Plan,” Molnár said.

He said that he would call another meeting for February 8, before parliament resumes session next month. He expressed hope that the prime minister would attend it to answer questions about the “Soros Plan”.

Molnár also said that he would send a letter to Soros, asking him to provide information about the plan, and make his answer available to the public.

Németh said Molnár had not consulted with him about his intention. With this move, he said, the head of the committee “would transgress his powers”.

Featured image: MTI

Source: MTI