Parlt cttee rejects opposition proposal to change election law

Parliament's judicial committee on Monday refused to put on the national assembly's agenda a proposal which the proponent opposition parties said would make Hungary's electoral system "fair, transparent and proportionate". Socialist group leader Bertalan Toth said that the proposal, backed also by LMP, the Liberals, the Dialogue and Egyutt parties, would have lowered the parliamentary threshold for political parties from 5 percent to "better reflect the will of voters" and would also have facilitated removing "fake parties" -- organisations entering the race with the sole purpose of getting the state subsidy for political parties running in the election. Fidesz said in reaction that "the problem is not with the electoral system but with the opposition". Parties of the opposition "desperately demand" a new system because "they are in a hopeless situation and unable to gain the confidence of voters".