Steven N.István Ujhelyi won’t be submitting a referendum question on Hungary’s future in the EU after all, the MSZP politician announced on Monday, in a statement titled “Ujhelyi: I am shelving my referendum question because of division in the opposition.”
Despite reports yesterday that Ujhelyi would be launching a referendum initiative to “confirm” Hungary’s membership in the alliance, he changed his mind after fellow opposition party Jobbik also submitted a similar referendum question on Monday. “I will therefore not submit my own proposal, but keep it in the top drawer,” the Socialist MEP wrote.
Ujhelyi wrote in an open letter on Sunday that he was planning to initiate a referendum on the following question: “Do you agree that Parliament should create a law on Hungary’s commitments to membership in the European Union?”
However, it appears that Jobbik beat Ujhelyi to the punch, as Jobbik President Márton Gyöngyösi went to the National Election Commission on Monday morning and submitted his party’s own version of this question, which read, “Do you agree that Parliament should not support any proposal or motion that could result in Hungary leaving the European Union?”
Not all opposition parties supported Ujhelyi’s referendum idea. Two leading politicians in Momentum came out against the idea on Sunday, with board member János Kele calling the referendum initiative a “huge mistake” if it were held. [Telex]
It could be interesting to know polling results on the question.