Medgyessy cautions against illegal constitutional reform

The former left-wing Prime Minister disagrees with the intention of Péter Márki-Zay, the opposition front runner, to scrap the constitution and dismiss the heads of constitutional bodies without the required two-thirds majority in parliament.

In an interview with ATV, Péter Medgyessy said the planned swift constitutional reforms would be illegal and would thus destabilise Hungary. (For the plans of such a constitutional reform see Budapost, December 1.) Medgyessy, who served as Prime Minister from 2002 to 2004, suggests that the opposition should rather concentrate on issues that concern the bulk of the population, for instance, food prices and the state of the health service. As for the Constitution and all the other measures requiring a qualified majority in Parliament, he believes the opposition, once in government, should first prove its worth. Only then, a few years later, should it hold new elections and seek a mandate to pass a new Constitution.

Tags: constitution, Márki-Zay, Medgyessy