Opposition wants the President to be elected by plebiscite

The left-wing daily devotes two comments on the same day to support the constitutional reform proposed by most opposition parties.

In Népszava, Jenő Ferincz welcomes the idea put forward by the Democratic Coalition and other opposition parties to hold nationwide presidential elections in the future, instead of investing the parliamentary majority with the task of electing the President. He believes that the current system dooms presidents to be simply tools in the hands of the Prime Minister.

In the same Népszava issue, Zsolt Nagy admits that as things stand at present, if the President were to be chosen in a nationwide election rather than by Parliament, the result would be the same, as Fidesz is supported by a majority of voters. In the long run however, he believes, presidents elected by popular vote would be more likely to represent the unity of the nation as required under the constitution as well as to act against the divisiveness of today’s political culture.

Tags: constitution, elections, President