October 6th, 2016
Commentators on the Right and Left disagree on whether or not the Prime Minister’s plan to amend Hungary’s Fundamental Law in order to rule out mandatory EU migrant redistribution reflects the will of the people.
In Magyar Idők, Ferenc Kis argues that the 3.2 million no votes at the October 2 quota referendum authorizes the government to amend the Hungarian Fundamental Law in order to rule out the possibility that the EU can force Hungary to admit refugees. Although both the left-wing parties and Jobbik underscored that the referendum was invalid as turnout was short of the 50 per cent threshold, Kis thinks that both MSZP and Jobbik should logically support the government’s proposal to amend the Constitution as the leaders of both parties claim that they oppose mandatory migrant redistribution in the EU.
On Kettős Mérce, Nóra Diószeghi-Horváth contends that the planned amendment of the Constitution would violate basic democratic norms. Interpreting the result of the referendum, the left-wing blogger thinks that 60 per cent of eligible voters including those who did not vote or submitted invalid votes “clearly indicated” that they disagree with Fidesz’s policies, which, according to Diószeghi-Horváth are “leading Hungary out of the EU”.
Tags: constitution, EU, migration, Orbán, referendum
