March 19th, 2009

Referendum drive on MPs’ expenses garners 525,000 signatures

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At least 525,000 verified signatures have been collected, far more than the mandatory 200,000, in support of a referendum on MPs’ expenses, National Election Office head Emília Rytkó announced on Wednesday.

The idea behind the initiative is that MPs be compelled to provide invoices for any expenses claimed.

Rytkó said the National Election Commission has passed a resolution on calling a referendum.

The person who initiated the referendum drive, Mária Seres, told reporters later in the day that this is the first time that an individual managed to collect so many signatures for a referendum.

She is hopeful that the referendum will be staged simultaneously with the European parliamentary elections.

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4 Comments

  1. sheesh says:
    March 19, 2009 at 10:22 am

    I’m sure those SOBs will somehow wiggle out of this, but that’s gonna be the day I will stop voting for any of the parties that are now in Parliament.

  2. HMMM says:
    March 19, 2009 at 12:23 pm

    And it has only taken 20 years to initiate something that should have been required from the beginning. Unfortunately Sheesh is probably right, they’ll figure some way out of it. The order of importance for the MP’s has always been themselves, themselves and themselves, then maybe the Republic image. When will they start thinking about the people, the taxpayers?

  3. Doktor Ki (v.12) says:
    March 19, 2009 at 5:48 pm

    More power to Mária Seres. I’m sure every right thinking Hungarian would vote for her proposal. Everyone else has to provide invoices for expenses, why shouldn’t they.
    Don’t worry folks, I’m still working on that removal of immunity from prosecution idea. From past record it seems that the Constitutional Court would probably (due to corruption, sorry I have no faith in their impartiality) block the proposed change to the Constitution in the event of a successful referendum. Gulliver was right it would probably have to involve the EU helping to enforce any proposed change. I’m on that at the moment.
    Power to the people’s referendums. Let’s make the politicians squirm and get some change.

  4. Kimond says:
    March 19, 2009 at 6:01 pm

    ‘Accountability’ in every sense of the word is what’s required: where is the money being spent, how is the money being spent, what are the benefits for the people?
    The days of wine and roses for theses bogus politicians are over. A million voices scream the same message: CORRUPTION, BRIBERY,EMBEZZLEMENT, BY THE ELITE FEW (POLITICIANS) WHO ABUSE THEIR POSTS BY SERVING THEIR OWN ENDS(ARSES)AND NOT THE PEOPLE!
    GET RID OF THEM NOW!!!