election

Orbán congratulates Ukraine’s Zelensky on election win

ukraine election 2019

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has congratulated Volodymyr Zelensky on his election as Ukraine’s new president, in a letter, Orbán’s press chief said on Tuesday.

Zelensky’s landslide victory

Ukraine held a presidential election runoff on April 21. According to UNIAN News Agency, the Central Election Commission of Ukraine has already processed 99.87% of protocols from precinct election commissions on the results of the runoff vote. Presidential candidate Zelensky received 73.23% of the vote (13,524,027 voters), while his opponent, incumbent President Poroshenko was supported by 24.45% of the voters .

The official results of the second round would be officially announced on April 30.

Orbán congratulates

The Hungarian government will continue to work towards further developing Hungarian-Ukrainian relations, Orbán said.

Orbán said he was counting on Zelensky’s cooperation in that endeavour and looking forward to working with him.

He wished the newly elected Ukrainian president much success in his work.


MIGRANTS WITHOUT WORK PERMITS COMING FROM SERBIA AND UKRAINE – Read more HERE

EP elections – Over 5,700 Hungarians register to vote abroad

ep election voters hungary

A total of 5,707 Hungarian citizens have registered so far to vote at a Hungarian mission in the European parliamentary elections next month.

Hungarians with a permanent residence in Hungary can cast their ballots at 134 embassies and consulates abroad after registering by May 17.

The ballot to send Hungarian MEPs to the EP will be held on May 25 on the American continent and on May 26 elsewhere.

Data published by the National Election Office on Saturday morning showed 483 Hungarians registering so far to vote in London, 474 in Brussels, 274 in Munich, 231 in Berlin, 229 in the Hague and 210 in Stuttgart.

Featured image: MTI

Hungarian president Áder congratulates Slovakia’s Caputova

caputova zuzana

Hungarian President János Áder has sent a letter of congratulations to Zuzana Caputova, who recently won the presidential election in Slovakia.

“I think I can greet you as a leader … who, like me, is committed to the development of relations between our countries and our region,” the letter the President of the Republic’s office sent to MTI on Tuesday said.

Áder added that he trusted that he and Caputova would contribute to the further enrichment of Hungarian-Slovak cooperation and he was ready to discuss this in person.

“I’d gladly exchange views with you on matters such as sustainability and environmental issues that are important to us both, as well as on the future of our region and Europe,” Áder wrote.

Hungarian president also expressed hope that he would continue “constructive dialogue” maintained with her predecessor, with a view to strengthening mutual trust and resolving outstanding issues.

He wrote that the “openness” she had shown as regards national minority communities was a source of hope.

Áder extended an invitation to his new Slovak counterpart to visit Budapest to discuss Hungary-Slovak relations and to review prospects for further cooperation.

EU citizens in Hungary can vote for Hungarian party lists

EU flag

In the European Parliament (EP) elections, European Union citizens resident in Hungary may vote for Hungarian party lists.

The National Election Office has informed the citizens concerned that they may apply to register in Hungary by May 10.

In Hungary, elections can only be held on Sunday, so

the EP vote is expected to be held on May 26.

Almost 113,000 EU citizens residing in Hungary have already informed the election office of their intention to vote in Hungary in the EP elections instead of their home country.

EU citizens in Hungary have been informed in English, German and French that if they want to vote for a Hungarian party list, they may register in person or by letter at their local electoral office.

The application can also be submitted online at www.valasztas.hu.

Opposition DK wants ‘Ukrainian voter imports’ investigated

The opposition Democratic Coalition will ask notaries of localities in north-eastern Hungary to launch an investigation into suspected fictitious Hungarian addresses claimed by Ukrainians who may have then fraudulently participated in the 2016 Hungarian general election, the deputy group leader of the party said on Tuesday.

The party will first contact officials of 176 localities near the Ukrainian border to investigate how many Ukrainian citizens claimed to have an address in Hungary after having taken up Hungarian citizenship in the region, Ágnes Vadai told a press conference.

Under a government scheme, ethnic Hungarians living beyond the border can apply for Hungarian citizenship. But citizenship does not entitle them to an address which confers to Hungarians living in Hungary the right to vote for both a national list and for an MP candidate in an individual constituency.

Citizenship alone, however, does give Hungarians living in neighbouring countries the right to a postal vote for a national list.

The DK politician referred to the public prosecutor’s office acknowledging on Monday that Hungarian citizenship had been granted to Ukrainian nationals with no Hungarian ancestors or connections to Hungary as well as no Hungarian language skills.

The prosecutor’s office said an investigation was under way into 307 cases, Vadai said, adding that DK had information suggesting that in one instance, altogether 203 people claimed to live at a single address.

She said

DK had already given warning of election fraud by ruling Fidesz who may have “imported Ukrainians” to vote in the 2018 general election.

It is now feared that the same “Ukrainian voter business” will compromise the transparency of the upcoming European Parliamentary elections and Hungary’s local elections in the autumn, Vadai said.

Karácsony wins left-wing mayoral preselection

Párbeszéd’s Gergely Karácsony won the preselection vote to determine the left-wing opposition’s candidate for mayor of Budapest, defeating the Socialist Party’s Csaba Horváth.

A total of 34,133 valid votes were cast over the course of the week-long ballot, Péter Szigeti, the psephologist asked to oversee the vote and former head of the National Election Committee, told a press conference on Sunday.

Karácsony received 27,598 votes to Horváth’s 6,535, Szigeti said.

The preselection had been organised jointly by the Socialist Party, the Democratic Coalition (DK), Párbeszéd and the Solidarity Movement.

In his victory speech, Karácsony said that the goal was now to take Budapest back from ruling Fidesz’s “viceroys” and give it back to the residents.

left-wing preselection
Photo: MTI

“This day has no loser, except Fidesz,” he said. The mayor of Budapest’s 14th district said the capital had scored a “historic” victory against Fidesz’s “divisive politics”.

He said today was also the day when the opposition united with the people against the politics of Fidesz.

Karácsony said that starting on Monday, the opposition would use the power of the people against incumbent Budapest Mayor István Tarlós in an effort to change the city.

He said the message of the preselection vote was that Budapest’s residents were thinking outside the confines of political parties, and more in terms of common goals. Karácsony said he and all of his allies should keep in mind that they are not looking for the opposition’s mayoral candidate or offering an opposition election programme, but rather looking for the candidate of the people of Budapest and shaping their election programme to serve the people’s interests.

He said the opposition would keep going until Fidesz only had one challenger left.

Congratulating Karácsony, Horváth said in his concession speech that the people of Budapest had chosen their flag bearer. He vowed to support Karácsony, saying that they were both aiming to “liberate” Budapest.

DK’s acting deputy leader Csaba Molnár said Budapesters knew that the incumbent mayor was “a viceroy appointed by the prime minister”. He said the opposition had to nominate a single mayoral candidate to have a shot at unseating Tarlos in the autumn.

Párbeszéd MP Olivio Kocsis-Cake said: “The numbers show that the preselection worked.” He said that whereas in Fidesz, positions were decided by a single person, “the democratic side” had conducted a democratic preselection vote.

Gergely Orsi, a member of the preselection committee, said the voting had been clean and fair.

The ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance called the preselection “a huge failure”.

Lénárd Borbely, the mayor of Budapest’s 21st district for Fidesz, said the past elections had already proven that the opposition did not have a “credible face” it could nominate for Budapest mayor. “Now, they’ve finished the usual casting,” he told MTI. He said the preselection had failed to draw interest, arguing that some 2 percent of Budapest’s residents had taken part in it. Borbély said this meant that the left had trouble mobilising even its own voters.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/KarácsonyGergely

Jobbik leader vows to ‘fight to the end’ for change

Jobbik Hungarian opposition party

Jobbik leader Tamás Sneider, at the conservative party’s season opening event on Saturday, vowed to “fight to the end” to “eliminate the current regime” and bring about change in Hungary.

In his speech, Sneider stressed opposition Jobbik’s responsibility in unifying Hungary’s “21st-century parties” to succeed in achieving its goals.

He said Jobbik would only cooperate with parties that accept the workings of parliamentary democracy and support a law on investigating the last thirty years of Hungarian politics.

Comparing the current situation in Hungary to the period of the country’s transition to democracy, Sneider said a new change of regime was needed.

He underscored the importance of a future founded on hard work and knowledge, saying that Hungary had to follow the examples of Scandinavia and the Western world.

Jobbik Hungarian opposition party
Photo: MTI

As regards Jobbik’s goals, he said the party first had to strengthen itself and recruit more members. Concerning specific political goals, he listed the democratisation of parliament’s house rules and Hungary’s election and media systems, the creation of independent courts, reforming campaign finance rules, joining the European prosecutor’s office and the establishment of an anti-corruption prosecuting authority.

Commenting on the recent attacks against Jobbik and himself, Sneider said the head of the strongest opposition party would be “the most vulnerable to the media cabal”.

In a message to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Sneider said: “You’ve met your match in me. You are not going to intimidate me.”

Jobbik deputy leader Márton Gyöngyösi said the past year had been the hardest yet for the party, warning that 2019 would be even tougher. He said Jobbik would face many attacks, smears and fines over the course of this year’s European parliamentary and municipal election campaigns.

Featured image: MTI

Opposition mayoral candidates want greener Budapest, better public transport

Budapest photography

At a debate ahead of the preselection of the left-wing opposition candidate for mayor of Budapest, the Socialist and Párbeszéd candidates said they were campaigning for a greener Budapest and for better public transport.

Both candidates, Socialist Csaba Horváth and Gergely Karácsony, pledged to involve Budapest residents in taking major decisions and to take a stronger stand against the government when it comes to local decision-making.

Their main bone of contention was over Dávid Vitezy, former head of the Budapest Transport Center (BKK).

Horváth insisted Vitézy was responsible for billions of forints of losses connected to the introduction of an electronic ticketing system whereas Karácsony maintained that Vitézy had done an excellent job at BKK.

Both candidates vowed to support whoever ends up winning the preselection process.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/KardosIldikóPhotography

The minds behind Fidesz’s hate campaign: how Soros became enemy No. 1

residency bond

American political consultant George Birnhaum gave an extensive interview to a Swiss magazine about how he and Arthur Finkelstein created the perfect political propaganda, and basically made a global enemy of Hungarian-born U.S. business mogul György Soros for Fidesz’s campaign.

Fidesz has been using Soros for their political campaign for years. Now we know how it all started, who came up with the plan and how they executed it perfectly, influencing millions of voters in Hungary.

Everybody who visited Hungary in the last two years saw at least one “Stop Soros!” billboard somewhere next to the roads. The political propaganda created by Hungarian right-wing party Fidesz has made a major impact on society ever since it started in 2013 and reached its peak in 2017, 24.hu writes.

soros campaign hungary

Fidesz was (and still is) sending the message that the Hungarian-born businessman György Soros wants to “attack our country”, and has some sort of “evil plan” against us. Political consultant George Birnhaum finally reveals how the whole idea behind this campaign came about.

The Finkelstein method

American political consultant Arthur Finkelstein believed that, when it comes to an election, it is best to pit the voters against each other with the help of fear.

A negative campaign, when one does not promote its own ideas but constantly attacks one’s opponent, can be extremely powerful. Finkelstein thought that the fate of an election is decided way before the actual election, and voters usually know way ahead who they are going to vote for. Thus, the aim is not to convince the voters to change their minds but to demotivate them, convince them not to vote at all.

The task is simple: pick someone you can constantly attack, try to project everything onto this person that the voters hate and think it is bad so that, ultimately, the voters lose their trust.

The concept of “the foreign capital” has also become the symbol of fear and disappointment in Hungary. Thus, Soros was the perfect target to make the enemy out of: he was born in Hungary but lives in the U.S., and he is also an extremely wealthy businessman (= dangerous foreign capital).

stop soros law

The campaign against Soros started in 2013 when the pro-government media started to spread the idea that Soros wanted to attack Hungary. The global migration crisis of 2015 really came in handy for Fidesz and their propaganda. This was the time when Soros said that, in the future, the EU might expect as many as one million migrants per year. This statement later became the well-known “Soros plan”. Fidesz communicated that Soros, in fact, wants to swamp Hungary with migrants. The rest is history: first, non-governmental organisations were labelled as “paid Soros soldiers”, then CEU was basically chased away from the country.

[button link=”https://dailynewshungary.com/fidesz-anti-government-protesters-on-soross-payroll/” type=”big” color=”green” newwindow=”yes”] Fidesz: anti-government protesters on Soros’s payroll[/button]

The whole thing was never real, only part of a brilliantly designed plan that had only one goal: to help Fidesz win the election.

Soros had no chance to reject any of the claims or to protect himself because the more he would have wanted to clear his name, the more associated he would have become with all of this. Not to mention that he would also have been attacked for being engaged in politics in the first place, given that he is a businessman and not a politician.

Officially, Fidesz never admitted that they were helped by the American political advisors. They claimed that they never paid for Finkelstein’s and Birnhaum’s services, they were just “talking”.

The model the Hungarian campaign was based on became so popular that it was exported to other countries as well, including Columbia, Israel, Kenya and Australia. Even U.S. President Donald Trump mentioned Soros’s name and claimed that he “paid migrants to go towards America”.

Featured image: Facebook.com/MagyarországKormánya

Socialist candidate for Budapest mayor announces programme

mayor candidate

The opposition Socialists’ candidate for Budapest mayor Csaba Horváth announced his programme on Tuesday, promising to address the city’s main problem which he defined as a lack of freedom and financial independence.

He told a press conference that his programme had been in the making for over ten years and it represented an “indictment” against Mayor Istvan Tarlás, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and ruling Fidesz. He said that since 2010, Budapest has been “systematically destroyed” by the nationalisation of schools and hospitals, the use of City Park as a construction site and the felling of tens of thousands of trees.

He promised that if he becomes mayor, 10 percent of all the tax paid in Budapest will remain in Budapest.

All Budapest buses will be electric, new tramlines will be built, the metro will be extended and disabled access will be developed, he added. He also said that 100,000 square metres of new parks would be built annually in the next five years and a park-guarding service would be set up to improve security.

He promised that the Budapest city council would recover the ownership of hospitals and schools will offer competitive knowledge with language skills.

He said poverty must be eliminated and people must be offered help to prevent homelessness.

In response to a question, Horváth said his personal ambitions for the post will last until February 3 when the primary among left-wing candidates ends. He said the election programme of Párbeszéd mayoral candidate Gergely Karácsony greatly overlaps his, so if Karácsony were to win the primary, he would support him.

Featured image: www.facebook.com/HorváthCsaba

Jobbik against all-opposition cooperation at EP elections

opposition cooperation

Conservative opposition Jobbik is against the cooperation of all opposition parties before the European Parliamentary elections because votes would be cast for party lists and “such cooperation stands without an example” in Europe, the party said in a statement on Tuesday.

An opposition list “would turn into a parody”, it would quickly disintegrate, causing confusion and only serving ruling Fidesz’s interests, the statement added.

Jobbik, which defines itself as a “social people’s party” will not enter into an alliance with Democratic Coalition leader Ferenc Gyurcsány or other political forces that refuse to contribute to efforts to establish a European wage union and do not believe that men should be eligible to retirement after 40 years of work, it said.

However, Jobbik added that being the strongest opposition party, it will continue to cooperate with others in certain concrete issues.

Jobbik lawmaker Andrea Varga-Damm said in response to a quesiton at a press conference held on a different subject that Jobbik would not participate in the joint list proposed by the opposition Socialists but the opposition should formulate joint messages at the election in order to boost voter turnout.

Considering Hungary’s “difficult state”, cooperation is necessary in certain matters but Jobbik will make every effort to prevent Gyurcsány from being placed in the focus of any campaign drive, she said.

She also said that wages for police and minimum wages in Hungary are insufficient and “the government propaganda on wages” is an “unacceptable and deceptive mantra”.

The net monthly wage for young police is 150,000 forints (EUR 466) after three years of service, she added.

Featured image: MTI

Liberals: Broad opposition cooperation formulating

Anti-government Demonstration in Budapest

An anti-government cooperation is formulating in Hungarian politics that includes beyond opposition parties trade unions and civil groups, the Hungarian Liberal Party’s candidate for Budapest mayor in this year’s municipal elections said on Monday.

With their close cooperation the incumbent “illiberal government” can be forced “to withdraw” in several areas, Ádám Sermer told public news channel M1.

He said that the opposition had better chances in the race for the post of Budapest mayor if they were able to unite to back a single candidate.

Sermer said it was important to choose a candidate who can commonly represent liberal and democratic ideals.

The municipal election will be held in the autumn.

Featured image: Daily News Hungary

Ruling party spokesman: Anti-migration content censored with Soros’s money

censored swearing

A ruling party spokesman has slammed Facebook “for targeting anti-migration content and thereby openly assuming a political role”.

“It is not the first time that Facebook has played an openly political role and it’s probably not the last, either,” István Hollik, the Fidesz-Christian Democrat group spokesman, told a news conference.

“The company that has the power to obliterate, moderate and censor content is supported by [billionaire] George Soros”.

Gábor G Fodor, the editor-in-chief of news portal 888.hu, said the Facebook page of his colleague had been blocked by the company.

The journalist in question had posted a picture of Emmanuel Macron, the French head of state, in the company of “half-naked black men” and a picture of Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s prime minister, holding his grandchild.

“You choose” was the caption.

The editor said the image, posted without commentary, had been removed by Facebook and the journalist had been blocked from the site for a week. Further, his page was removed.

“It’s frightening and disappointing, and as regards the future, it’s thought-provoking,” he added.

G. Fodor called on the right-wing press to make their voices heard and not to allow themselves to be intimidated.

István Hollik said that as the European Parliament elections approach, “this type of censorship and migration campaign” will intensify in the coming months.

Orbán’s cabinet: Sargentini report ‘last, desperate attack’

Orbán Rogán Italy

The European Parliament’s “pro-migration majority” is preparing to launch a “last and desperate attack on Hungary”, Antal Rogán, the head of the prime minister’s cabinet, told reporters concerning the EP’s Sargentini report on the state of the rule of law in the country.

Rogán spoke before a meeting dubbed Civic Picnic in Kötcse, in southwestern Hungary, on Saturday, and said that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán would focus on the upcoming European Parliamentary elections in his address to the meeting, and added that the elections would be “dominated by the subject of migration”.

Rogán insisted that the migration crisis has created a “democratic deficit” in Europe, and argued that “the majority of the EP and of the European Commission support migration, while more and more Europeans are against it, and the majority of the EP seems to be unwilling to acknowledge that”.

He also insisted that a new EP and EC “without a majority of pro-migration politicians” would “restore order”.

Concerning a vote in the EP on the Sargentini document next week, Rogán said that “the decision will not count… what counts is what people say in the EP elections next May“.

Jozsef Szajer, MEP of ruling Fidesz, said on his arrival to the meeting that the EP was “preparing to take revenge” on Hungary. He also said that the European People’s Party, of which Fidesz is a member, has “different positions” concerning the document, and suggested that some EPP MEPs may not support Fidesz in the Sargentini vote.

Featured image: MTI

Hungarian foreign minister: Macron, Juncker pro-migrant

Pécs Pride March 3

French President Emmanuel Macron and EP President Jean-Claude Juncker are pro-migration politicians who criticise and “attack” Hungary because it rejected to accept migrants and defended its borders, the Hungarian foreign minister told public media on Friday.

“Macron will be a vocal leader of the pro-migration camp in next year’s EP elections, while Juncker carries personal responsibility for the migrant crisis”, Péter Szijjártó said.

They “are attacking” Hungary because they want to see the largest possible number of migrants arrive in Europe, he said.

“Their aim is to change the composition of people living in Europe which we resist as we do not want to have illegal migrants on this continent”, the foreign minister added.

The EP elections in May will have an enormous stake since it will define the composition of the next European Parliament and European Commission which is crucial for the EU’s future, he said.

The key question is which side will gain majority, the pro-migrant camp or their rivals, Szijjártó said.

Featured image: MTI/EPA

Orbán’s cabinet: Sargentini report attempt to ‘punish’ Hungary for independent migration policy

migration - Hungary border fence army

The Sargentini report “is an attempt to punish Hungary” for its independent and sovereign migration policy, the head of the Prime Minister’s Office has said.

Whereas the report covers various other topics, these all concern issues that have already been concluded with agreements between Hungary and the European Commission, Gergely Gulyás told commercial Inforadio in an interview broadcast late on Tuesday.

He said the remaining issue was migration policy and what, in the eyes of Sargentini, “the Hungarian government is doing wrong”.

Hungary is “protecting the European Union’s external borders and making it clear that it is up to the citizens of every country to decide with whom they want to live,” he added.

Every time Hungary is on the agenda at the European Parliament it concerns an “attack on Hungary”, Gulyás said, adding that it was right that Hungary should be represented and defended at the highest level, referring to the fact that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will participate in the upcoming EP debate on the Sargentini report.

Commenting on next year’s EP elections, he said migration would be the hot issue. He said that ever since 1979, when direct voting was introduced in the EU, this would be the first time that voters actually choose on the basis of a common European issue rather domestic political ones.

Gulyás said the campaign debate for and against migration would be “crucially important”. Hungary was the first country to prove that land borders can be protected, and Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini now wants to show that the sea borders can also be protected, he added.

He said that French President Emmanuel Macron was on the side of migrants and was the prime representative of left-liberal politics in Europe.

It added it was more and more likely that Macron would join the Liberals in the European Parliament. The Hungarian government, for its part, wants to ensure that the European People’s Party remains the biggest political force in the EP, he said.

Asked about the V4 cooperation, Gulyás said that over the past 3-4 years the Visegrád Four countries had coordinated their political actions more successfully than at any time since the region’s transition to democracy three decades ago.

Even if there are some disputes between them — mainly concerning ethnic minorities — the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia agree on an overwhelming majority of issues, he said, adding that the gaps between their positions had further narrowed in light of the EU’s draft financial framework.

The draft, he insisted, sought to “punish” central European countries for meeting their EU obligations in economic policy and producing considerable economic growth, he said, explaining that up to now cohesion policy was based on the standard of living rather than on the rate of economic growth. The draft budget, however, would take growth as the basis of access to cohesion funds and “thus help the rich to the detriment of the poor”, Gulyás said.

Featured image: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu

OSCE report: Free, but not fair elections in Hungary

Elections 2018: 250 registered parties

The OSCE Election Observation Mission for the Hungarian elections in April 2018 has finally published their final report. As Index.hu reports, the elections were democratic, but the media was biased.

OSCE, the international organisation has already issued its preliminary statement following the Hungarian elections in April. The organisation launches Election Observation Missions only to countries upon the official invitation of the government.

In their preliminary statement, the Mission concluded that the parliamentary elections “were characterised by a pervasive overlap between state and ruling party resources, undermining contestants’ ability to compete on an equal basis”. The report also emphasised that, although there was a wide range of options, media bias and the lack of real political debate hindered voters’ ability to make a well-informed and grounded decision.

In the final report, these concerns are even more stressed.

As the report states, campaign financing was vague and chatoic due to an overlap between the financial resources of the state and the candidate ruling party.

Concerns were raised regarding the state of Hungarian media. As we have written about it earlier, several online sources have expressed similar opinions: The Guardian wrote about the worrying tendencies in Hungarian media freedom, while an American journalist reported about Hungary as a “failing democracy”.

According to OSCE, media coverage during the campaign period prior to the elections was extensive, but highly polarized.

Public media has met the requirements that were posed in terms of providing coverage to all candidates in its news program, but other than that, it was clearly biased towards the ruling coalition.

As the report stresses, women are highly underrepresented in Hungarian politics, and the media paid nearly any attention to the empowerment of women candidates.

The organization included some recommendations in the report to help Hungary fulfil international obligations and standards in the future. The focus is on clear and transparent campaign financing, safeguarding the public broadcaster’s independence and possibilities for broader citizen observation.

Featured image: DNH

Péter Rádi elected to succeed Patyi as head of the National Election Committee

NAtional Election Committee Rádi

The National Election Committee (NVB) on Tuesday elected Péter Rádi as its new chair after András Patyi resigned the position.

András Paty
András Patyi, Photo: MTI

Patyi, who had served as the body’s chairman since its inception in 2013, told a meeting of the committee that he was resigning as its chairman effective immediately.

The 11 members of the 14-member body who were present at Tuesday’s meeting voted unanimously to relieve Patyi of his post.

National Election Committee (NVB) deputy head Éva Bozsóki recommended electing Rádi as Patyi’s successor.

Andrea Borbály, delegate of the conservative opposition Jobbik party and András Litresits of the Socialist Party argued that the committee was rushing the decision on Patyi’s successor.

They said the NVB should wait until all of its members can be present for a vote so that the next chair could enjoy the largest possible backing.

After accepting the nomination,

Rádi was elected head of the NVB with 8 votes in favour and 2 against.

Rádi, a lawyer, has been a member of the NVB since 2015. He has also served as a member of the election committee of Budapest’s 9th district.

Parliament elected the NVB’s seven members and three reserve members in 2013 for 9-year terms. Only members elected by parliament can head the committee.

As we wrote on July, the National Election Committee rejected two referendum initiatives, one on making the enforcement of two-thirds laws contingent on the approval of voters in a national referendum. The other concerned legalising cannabis consumption, read more HERE.

Photo: MTI