Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Hungary Opposition Cheered by ‘Symbolic Victory’ on Referendum

Hungary Opposition Cheered by ‘Symbolic Victory’ on Referendum

The success of a drive to collect signatures for a vote on a controversial Chinese university campus has lifted opposition spirits ahead of the April 3 elections

Hungary’s opposition has achieved a symbolic victory over the issue of a Chinese university campus – but it is unlikely that a referendum about the Budapest campus of the controversial Chinese Fudan university can be staged at the same time as parliamentary elections due on April 3.

Opposition parties have gathered 470,000 signatures in favour of a vote on the proposed Budapest campus of the Shanghai-based Fudan University, financed by a 1.3-billion-euro loan from China Development Bank.

Critics say the cost of the campus would be higher than what the government spends each year on running all of the country’s state-run universities. The contract is also classified, just like the other big Chinese project in Hungary, the construction of a new Belgrade-Budapest railway.

Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony, who has been critical about the project from the beginning, initiated the referendum, but was backed by the broad alliance of opposition parties, including leftists, liberals, centrists and the former extreme-right.

The referendum would include two questions: the first would repeal the law on the transfer of assets to the Fudan Hungary University Foundation; the second would extend the maximum duration of unemployment benefit from 90 to 270 days.

According to the constitution, 200,000 signatures are needed for a question to initiate a referendum.

Many observers had doubted that the opposition, which only started its campaign before Christmas, would be able to reach the threshold.

“This is an important symbolic victory for the opposition, a positive message that they have achieved something together, regardless of the timing or the outcome of the referendum,” Andrea Szabo, senior research fellow of the Centre for Social Sciences at the Institute for Political Science told BIRN.

The opposition visibly lost momentum after its successful primaries in October 2021, which ended with the surprise victory of conservative mayor Peter Marki-Zay, so this could be the start of a new beginning, she added.

Human chain delivering signatures to the National Election Office in Budapest, January 21

Elections are seen as real referendum


The National Election Office has now 60 days to prove the signatures and decide on the date of the referendum, which the opposition wants to stage together with the parliamentary elections on April 3.

But most experts think this deadline is unrealistic and the authorities will be in no rush to comply. “There is zero chance to stage the referendum on the same day as the parliamentary elections and the opposition is also aware of this,” Szabo said.

The real referendum will be the parliamentary elections with one single question: Fidesz or not Fidesz, and this will also determine the fate of the Fudan investment, she added.

Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony is also aware of the symbolism of the referendum. “These signatures were not collected just for the sake of a referendum,” he said on Friday. “These signatures have been collected to restore faith in politics which would serve public interest.”

Opposition politicians, who showed unprecedented unity after weeks of internal feuds and open debates, are optimistic and interpret their success in gathering the necessary number of signatures, despite the Christmas break and chilly winter conditions, as proof that defeat of the Orban-led government is possible.

The Fudan question itself may not mobilize many people outside of Budapest, but the opposition unity behind it and the human chain delivering the signatures to the National Election Office on Friday are seen as symbols that the opposition is on track again.

Orban’s government has meanwhile faced no obstacles to holding its own referendum on the same day as parliamentary elections.

The referendum on what it calls a child-protection law will ask people whether they support sexual orientation courses for minors without parental consent, promotion of gender reassignment treatments for minors, unrestricted sexual content in media and media content about gender reassignment for minors.

NGOs have called the referendum questions deliberately manipulative, using legitimate concerns of parents to incite hatred against the LGBT+ community and vulnerable social groups.

David Vigh from Amnesty International is urging Hungarians “to cast invalid votes to those invalid questions, [so that the referendum] remains under the validity threshold.”

The timing of the Fudan referendum will most likely be sometime after the elections, but few will be really interested in its outcome by then. If Orban has by then won a fourth time, he will probably feel strong enough to push the Fudan project through, although in 2017 he backed off hosting the 2024 Olympics in Budapest when Momentum, a new party, launched a campaign against it. By contrast, if the opposition wins in April, the Fudan project will be off the table, regardless of a referendum.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
×