Socialists disagree over referendum question submission time

Budapest, July 6 (MTI) – The opposition Socialists will turn to court over the Election Office’s dismissal of their referendum question on Sunday retail closures, Tamas Harangozo, the party’s deputy parliamentary group leader told MTI on Monday.

The National Election Office (NVI) decided to reject the Socialists’ referendum question on the ground that it had been submitted “too early”, the office’s head, Ilona Palffy, said. Referendum rules state that while a question is being examined by a court, in this case the Kuria, the supreme court, it is not possible to submit another question on the same subject.

Last Tuesday the Kuria decided to reject an earlier referendum question on Sunday shop closures, the one submitted by Gyula Thurmer, the leader of the Workers’ Party. The Kuria’s decision was published on the court’s website in the afternoon. Palffy argued that the two other contenders, the Socialists’ Zoltan Lukacs and Zoltan Wodicska, had submitted their requests on Tuesday before the Kuria decision on the previous question had been published.

Zoltan Vajda, an activist and organiser of the Facebook group 60 thousand for private pensions, submitted his own related question only on Wednesday. Palffy said it is Vajda’s question which will now be submitted to the National Election Committee (NVB) for approval.

Harangozo said on Monday that Palffy’s argument is “a violation of the laws”. He said that the Kuria’s ruling becomes official once it is announced and not when it is published on the court’s website. “Hats off to anyone trying to argue the opposite,” he said.

Photo: konyvtar.elte.hu

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