"Fidesz and the Christian Democrats filed signatures collected for the three proposed referendum questions on visiting, daily-hospital and tuition fees to the National Election Office (OVB) in Budapest yesterday.“A total of 321,805 signatures were filed for each question,” Fidesz referendum campaign chief István Tarlós said. “Fidesz wants to be present for the signature approval process,” he added. OVB has now begun the signature verification process, for which the law allows 45 days, or until December 8.
The main opposition party is continuing to collect signatures for a petition to show support for the referendum and demonstrate the party’s strength of support. Fidesz denied that the aim of the process was to build up a larger database of its potential voters.
Magyar Rádio evening news show “Krónika” broadcast a recording of a Fidesz activist collecting party-loyalty data from the residents of an electoral district. Privacy ombudsman Attila Péterfalvi said “no register is allowed to be maintained on the locations visited by activists nor the personal attitudes of individuals they talked with.”
“Fidesz strictly followed the law while collecting the signatures and will continue to do so,” deputy spokesman András Cser-Palkovics commented. “If anyone has information to the contrary please inform the operational or political leaders of the campaign in order to allow us to take the necessary steps,” he added."
Source: Hungary Around the Clock.
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26.10.2007