The Socialist Party would like Parliament to pass a bill on campaign funding as soon as possible, caucus director József Tóbiás told Népszabadság on Wednesday.

He said Socialist officials will attend talks initiated by Freedom House and Transparency International Hungary next Monday.

The two international organisations argue that parliamentary elections can only be held in an unlawful manner within Hungary’s present legal frameworks. They have drafted a bill which includes elements of proposals made by both the Socialists and Fidesz, and want consultations with the two parties.

The organisations would raise the permitted sum of campaign funding per candidate from Ft 1 million to Ft 5 million, but with payments effected only against campaign invoices, which would be constantly checked by the State Audit Office.

Businesses would be allowed to contribute a maximum of Ft 5 million and individuals up to Ft 2 million to campaigns. Campaign periods would be limited to 60 days and political advertisements would appear in the electronic media only in the last three weeks before an election.