The main opposition Fidesz and its Christian Democrat ally reject the idea of raising the funds available for campaign financing but advocate plans to shorten the election campaign and cut its costs, a senior Fidesz official told a press conference on Friday.
To increase transparency, Fidesz proposes introducing campaign accounts to be controlled by the State Audit Office, operative director Zsolt Nyitrai said.
During the run-up to the elections, all payments connected with the election campaign should be made from these accounts.
The two parties also propose that government agencies, ministries and state-run companies should not be permitted to place advertisements on their achievements during the campaign.
In early October international NGOs Freedom House Europe and Transparency International put forward a proposal amalgamating the ideas of the ruling Socialists and Fidesz to draft a bill on cleaner campaign financing. It would shorten the election campaign, introduce campaign accounts and raise the amount available per candidate from 1 million forints (EUR 3,550) to 5 million forints (EUR 18,700) but limit it there.
Earlier this week the Socialists and the liberal Free Democrats supported the NGOs’ ideas and added their own proposals on party financing to their bill.
The bill requires a two-thirds majority to pass in Parliament.
Hungary’s next general elections are scheduled to take place next spring.
