The Socialist leader insisted that every third Hungarian child lives in poverty and 3.4 million people earn less than 65,000 forints (EUR 212.4) per month. Gábor Vona, the leader of radical nationalist Jobbik, urged changes in the areas of job creation, the municipal system and issues around the Roma community. Contrary to the government’s PR campaign on increasing employment, half a million Hungarians have gone abroad and the municipal system has failed, said Vona.

He urged finding a “humane solution to Hungarian- Roma cohabitation”, saying that the issue poses an economic, political and cultural “time bomb”. Hungary’s future cannot be based on an exposed and dependent country lacking solidarity, the co-leader of the LMP party said.

András Schiffer accused Orbán of pursuing a far-right economic policy. As a consequence of that policy jobs have been eliminated in the private sector and the outflow of income has accelerated, he said. Schiffer added that as a result of the government’s strategic partnership pacts with big companies 81% of subsidies “have oozed to other countries”.

László Varju, board member of the Democratic Coalition (DK), said Orbán had been talking about “cohesion, unity and cooperation which had never existed”. He accused ruling Fidesz of having conducted an “unfair” vote, using platforms such as the public media that gave them gains over the opposition. He criticised Orbán for his remarks on improving employment statistics, insisting that figures have not shown any considerable increase over the past four years.

Tímea Szabó, co-chair of the Dialogue for Hungary (PM) party, said that Orbán’s speech had been the prime minister’s “umpteenth empty address”. She called it “disappointing” that Orbán did not even have “as much respect for his voters as to tell them what the cabinet is preparing to do in the next three years”.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

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MTI photo: Kovács Attila