LMP could support church law amendment, Socialists to stay away from talks on church law

Budapest, November 9 (MTI) – The opposition Socialists will no longer participate in five-party talks on an amendment to Hungary’s church law, Gergely Barandy, Socialist deputy head of parliament’s legislative committee, told a press conference on Monday. The opposition LMP party regards the planned amendment to the church law as “a step forward” and would support it conditionally, Istvan Ikotity, the party’s lawmaker, said.

Barandy called the five-party talks a “farce staged by ruling Fidesz”, and argued that none of the opposition’s major proposals were included in the final draft of the amendment.

As for the omitted proposals, Barandy mentioned one which was to ensure that any church organisation providing public services should receive financing from the central budget.

The Socialist Party’s participation in the talks would be equal to deceiving their voters because it would “create the appearance that the procedure is democratic,” Barandy insisted.

LMP could support church law amendment

The amendment, which requires a two-thirds majority to pass, should create a level playing field for all churches and it should contain a guarantee that religious communities denied official church status can appeal the decision, Ikotity said after attending five-party talks on the subject earlier in the day. The opposition Socialists stayed away from the talks.

Ikotity said the proposal was “far from perfect” but it was an improvement on earlier measures.

Lajos Kosa, leader of Fidesz’s parliamentary group, said he saw a chance for both LMP and the radical nationalist Jobbik party to support the amendment. He said the amendment was drafted in wake of several churches receiving favourable rulings from the European Court of Human Rights over the previous law.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters