Tags: EU | Hungary | Referendum

Hungary Opposition Upset about Referendum Being Blocked

Hungary Opposition Upset about Referendum Being Blocked

Tuesday, 23 February 2016 01:33 PM EST

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungarian opposition parties and rights groups said Tuesday that the government has made it nearly impossible to initiate referendums on issues at odds with official policies.

Istvan Nyako, a former Socialist Party lawmaker, said he was physically blocked by a group of 15-20 large men from presenting a referendum question on time to the National Election Office about an unpopular law banning most stores from opening on Sundays.

Since the election office is only allowed to deal with one proposed referendum at a time on a particular issue, a race has ensued to be the first to submit a new question if the previous one is rejected. The office asked the Justice Ministry last year to change the submission procedure but the government has said it has no immediate plans to do so.

"I felt terrorized, threatened and intimidated," Nyako told The Associated Press. "When I tried to file my questions, I was blocked and pushed aside."

Nyako said the election office should have vetted the people waiting in the lobby to ensure their presence was legitimate and not meant to dissuade others.

Efforts by opponents of the Sunday shopping ban to submit their referendum questions to the election office for approval have been repeatedly thwarted by similar incidents in recent months.

Nyako said they would try to submit their question again and that he had filed a complaint with the election office because of the incident.

"This is not a system of national cooperation but a system of oppression," Nyako said.

Other opposition parties and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee also criticized Prime Minister Viktor Orban and the police for the election office incident.

The governing Fidesz party rejected the criticism, saying the Socialists had shown "total incompetence" in the matter and were merely trying to create a scandal.

© Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Europe
Hungarian opposition parties and rights groups said Tuesday that the government has made it nearly impossible to initiate referendums on issues at odds with official policies.Istvan Nyako, a former Socialist Party lawmaker, said he was physically blocked by a group of 15-20...
EU,Hungary,Referendum
302
2016-33-23
Tuesday, 23 February 2016 01:33 PM
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