Post Tagged with: "Referendum 2016"

The Tuesday vote in Parliament on the proposed constitutional amendment.

Orbán loses key vote in parliament due to “treasonous” Jobbik

Lajos Kósa, Leader of the ruling Fidesz caucus in Parliament, called Jobbik leader Gábor Vona a “traitor,” after the far-right party blocked the Orbán government from amending Hungary’s Fundamental Law to prohibit the settlement of any foreign nationals in Hungary, without the prior approval of the national legislature. Fidesz is just two seats shy of a two-thirds super-majority in parliament, […]

by · November 8, 2016 · Politics
Viktor Orbán in Parliament on October 3rd.

Viktor Orbán declares Jobbik unpatriotic and a lackey of Brussels

In a series of tense exchanges in Parliament on Monday, after the government’s referendum opposing EU-wide “migrant quotas” was declared invalid, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán went on the offensive. His main target was Gábor Vona, President of the far-right Jobbik party, who had called for the prime minister’s resignation following the failed vote. Mr. Vona had cautioned the prime minister […]

by · October 3, 2016 · Politics
Viktor Orbán speaks after his referendum was declared invalid by the National Election Office.

Viktor Orbán will disregard referendum result — Announces immediate constitutional amendment

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced after his anti-migrant referendum was declared invalid by the National Election Office that he intends to disregard the result and will bring forward a proposal to amend Hungary’s constitution. Mr. Orbán’s proposed constitutional amendment is “borrowed” directly and explicitly from Jobbik’s platform. The far-right party and its leader spent the entire referendum campaign criticising Fidesz […]

by · October 2, 2016 · Politics
Turn-out in Budapest and in the 19 counties. Turn-out was below fifty percent in 18 out of 19 counties and also in Budapest. Illustration: National Election Office.

Hungarian referendum declared invalid — An embarrassing defeat for Viktor Orbán

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s anti-migrant referendum proved to be the first major defeat suffered by Fidesz in a decade. Fidesz has won every election and referendum since fall 2006, including the 2006 municipal and regional elections, the 2008 referendum calling for the elimination of compulsory medical fees and university tuition, as well as the 2010 and the 2014 parliamentary and […]

by · October 2, 2016 · Politics
Thank you, Hungary! Migration Aid issues statement as Orbán’s referendum defeated

Thank you, Hungary! Migration Aid issues statement as Orbán’s referendum defeated

Hungary’s Migration Aid, an NGO, which played a critical role in providing food, support and medical care to refugees in Budapest last year, issued the following English-language statement, after polls closed and it becomes increasingly clear that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s  xenophobic anti-migrant referendum is invalid, falling well below the minimum 50% plus 1 participation threshold.  This evening at 19 […]

by · October 2, 2016 · Politics
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was among the first to cast a ballot in the national referendum on "migrant quotas." Photo: MTI.

Referendum in Hungary: Low turnout suggests boycott is working

There is nervousness in Fidesz, Hungary’s ruling party, as very low turnout in a referendum aimed at rejecting EU-wide “migrant quotas” for Hungary means that the vote may be invalid, and thus an embarrassing defeat for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Nationally, turnout at 3:00 PM local time was just 31%, according to statistics released by the National Election Office. The […]

by · October 2, 2016 · Politics
Anti-electoral fraud hotline.

Socialists shred election documents in protest ahead of Hungary’s referendum

Politicians and supporters of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) protested outside the National Election Office in Budapest on Saturday, less than 24 hours before the country’s national referendum on “migrant quotas,” which the left-centre opposition is boycotting. Gyula Molnár, MSZP’s party president, was joined by Gergely Karácsony, the popular district mayor of the small Dialogue for Hungary (Párbeszéd Magyarországért) leftist […]

by · October 1, 2016 · Politics
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in a helicopter, inspecting the border between Hungary and Serbia from above. Photo: Facebook.

Viktor Orbán: Without Hungary, Europe would have already fallen

Hungary’s largest free circulation print daily, Lokál, published an interview with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, three days before the government’s anti-migrant referendum. Lokál is published by the Modern Media Group, a firm co-owned by the prime minister’s personal adviser, Árpád Habony. Earlier this year, without issuing any tender, the Centre for Budapest Transport (BKK) signed an agreement with the Modern […]

by · September 30, 2016 · Politics
An example of a spoiled ballot provided by the satirical Hungarian Two Tailed Dog Party.

National Election Office: 18 percent of mail-in ballots spoiled in Hungarian referendum

Hungary’s National Election Office has processed 32,254 mail-in ballots for the Sunday  referendum against EU-wide “migrant quotas” and has deemed that 18% of them (5,708) were spoiled by voters. Hungarians living abroad and holding dual citizenship are eligible to vote by mail-in ballot, but thus far only 28% of the 274,573 registered voters have chosen to participate in the October 2nd […]

by · September 29, 2016 · Politics
Viktor Orbán inspecting the border fence between Hungary and Serbia. Photo: Facebook.

New poll spells trouble for Orbán ahead of Hungary’s referendum

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s national referendum against so-called EU-wide “migrant quotas”, scheduled for October 2nd, will likely be invalid, with fewer than 50% of eligible voters casting ballots. The Medián polling firm–perhaps the most reputable pollster in Hungary–was commissioned by the hvg.hu news site to conduct a poll less than a week before the national referendum. Only 42% of respondents […]

by · September 28, 2016 · Politics