JOBBIK: Government pillaged country in 2014

Budapest (MTI) – The government has “pillaged” the country by subsidising ruling party Fidesz cronies and multinationals, a Jobbik official said, offering his party’s assessment of the past year.

Contracts offering big gains from central and local government coffers have been secured for people politically close to the government, Janos Volner, deputy leader of radical nationalist Jobbik’s parliamentary group, told a news conference on Monday. As a result, there are few Hungarian companies which can compete internationally or follow the rules of a market economy.

Despite its “nation-friendly rhetoric” the government is still boosting the economy and jobs with foreign capital, Volner said. He called it “bizarre” that while 33.5 percent of Hungarians live in poverty the taxpayer is subsidising the manufacture of German luxury goods.

Jobbik finds the central bank’s lending and growth programme misleading, as only 18 billion forints (EUR 57.35m) out of a budget of 701 billion forints have been awarded to businesses with fewer than ten employees despite its having been plugged as geared towards small business, he added.