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.