Magyar: Hungary heading towards demographic catastrophe

Hungary is heading towards a demographic catastrophe if nothing changes, the head of the opposition Tisza party said on Monday.

In a statement, Péter Magyar asked: “If Hungary indeed has a family-friendly government, why is it that this year saw the lowest number of births in the last sixty years?”

“Why are they closing down maternity wards in the countryside? … Why are they destroying education? … Why is every other young person thinking about leaving their country? Why has the government not built any homes available for rent over the past 14 years?… Why don’t single parents and families raising sick children receive real support? Why is the family allowance 12,000 forints (EUR 30) since 2008?” Magyar added.

He said the main priority of the Tisza government would be to revitalise health care and education, as well as “to offer real support to Hungarian families”, with a significant increase in the family allowance, offering income tax exemption to mothers with three children, developing a child and family-friendly support system and building a significant number of rental homes.