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11th April, 2024
Magyar hopes to enter elections via Eger-based party
Peter Magyar yesterday joined a little-known, Eger-based party that he may be able to use as a vehicle to enter the European Parliament and municipal elections in June.
Magyar did not wish to reveal the name of the party – Tisza, the Respect and Freedom Party – before the National Election Commission registered it as eligible for the elections, but the Commission published the name on its website yesterday.
The party’s logo already incorporates the Talpra, Magyarok (“Stand up, Hungarians!”) community founded and announced by Magyar on March 15.
Magyar was elected a vice-president of the Tisza party at an EGM yesterday and wrote on Facebook that “we are in the majority in the party’s executive bodies”.
Tisza was registered in 2021, a year before the 2022 parliamentary elections.
Its president, Attila Szabo, affirmed that the party is neither a right- nor a left-wing party, and said its platform combines modern European conservative and social democratic values.
The election commission is next due to meet on Thursday afternoon and may even decide on the party’s eligibility to compete in the elections, 444 notes.
On Facebook, Magyar wrote: “Let’s see how afraid the authorities are and whether they will try to prevent our candidacy with administrative means.”
He added: the June 9 election will be a milestone. If we join hands and stick together, nothing and no one can stop us from taking back our country”.
Magyar did not have time to found a new party before the elections, because the election commission can only register parties as nominating organisations that were already legally registered by March 12. (telex.hu; 444.hu; hvg.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Opposition parties react to Magyar
A recent survey by the pro-government Nezopont Institute gauged the popularity of a hypothetical party led by Peter Magyar at 13%, giving opposition parties reason to fear that they may lose votes to him, 444 reports.
That result puts Magyar in competition with the Democratic Coalition, Socialist and Dialogue alliance, also with 13% support, and ahead of the Two-Tailed Dog Party, at 11%.
The biggest loser is Momentum which would fail to reach the 4% parliamentary threshold, according to the survey.
The Dog Party is basically pleased with the emergence of Magyar. Party director David Nagy told 444 that anything that has such a bad effect on Fidesz is good.
The party does not believe that Magyar will steal the most voters form them among opposition parties, as their voters were drawn to the party by a political initiative organised from grassroots level, contrary to the messianic type of politicians, said Nagy.
However, he considers it conceivable that some who earlier voted for the Dog Party because they were disillusioned with the opposition might vote for Magyar instead.
The Democratic Coalition, ignoring the questions posed by 444, declared that Magyar is a right-wing conservative politician who, according to his own statement, would co-operate even with Fidesz. The statement stressed that the party will never co-operate in any form with Fidesz, nor with politicians who do not rule out co-operation with Fidesz.
Momentum did not give a substantive answer to the question of how Magyar’s popularity might affect the party’s voter base, merely saying that it leaves the topic to analysts.
Magyar enjoys such high popularity because he comes from within the regime, which could encourage others vulnerable to the regime, so Magyar’s attempt to topple the regime might be successful, according to Marton Gyongyosi, president of the Jobbik-Conservatives party. However, he stressed, the important thing is that Magyar harms Fidesz.
Socialist co-president Agnes Kunhalmi said her party’s voter base can see the possible weakening of Fidesz because of Magyar’s political performance and the paedophile scandal. However, she believes that left-wing voters can also see that Magyar is not a left-wing actor but is trying to develop a democratic, conservative group on the right wing.
Mi Hazank president Laszlo Toroczkai said he does not understand why Magyar calls himself a third way, when Mi Hazank represents the third way. It is clear that Magyar is not weakening Fidesz, he added. (444.hu; hvg.hu)
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11th April, 2024
MPs extend state of emergency
MPs voted on Wednesday to extend the state of emergency declared because of the Russia-Ukraine war until November 19.
In practice, this means that the government continues to have the authority to rule by decree and promulgate a number of regulations appearing in Magyar Kozlony at night.
The justification provided for the extension asserts that the war and its effects on Hungary have not changed in the recent past. (magyarnemzet.hu; hirtv.hu; magyarhirlap.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Govt quietly plans expropriation of residential buildings
The government has concealed a plan to expropriate residential buildings in the Eighth District in a “salad bill” containing elements unrelated to one another, submitted to Parliament by Culture and Innovation Minister Janos Csak and deputy prime minister Zsolt Semjen on April 2.
The vast majority of the properties are residential buildings occupied by very poor and needy families, according to the local council.
District mayor Andras Piko says 200 families are in danger of being evicted because of the expropriation, but the local council cannot provide housing for so many people.
The bill states that the space on Dioszegi utca and nearby streets is required to establish a new teacher-training centre for the public service university. Piko says the university leadership with whom they have been in contact for years never told the local council that it needs those areas.
In an open letter on the topic to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony asked “why is it that your cabinet always shows off your power at the expense of the downtrodden?”
Declaring “Budapest cannot be expropriated, cannot be occupied,” he wrote that the city, Piko and the district’s MP Andras Jambor are ready to resort to all legal and political means to prevent that. (24.hu; hvg.hu; blikk.hu; magyarnarancs.hu; 444.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Lazar announces plan to build new university campus
Construction and Transport Minister Janos Lazar announced plans for the construction of a new campus for the Pazmany Peter Catholic University, on his Facebook page Tuesday evening.
The project to be implemented in the vicinity of the former Magyar Radio building in Budapest’s Eighth District will be carried out in co-ordination with local residents despite the fact that a court rejected their request for an injunction, said Lazar.
The minister said it matters to the government that local residents can say which facades or streets of their neighbourhood should be renewed, whether parking garages or an underground garage should be built or whether even more parks should be established.
The organisation calling itself For a Green Palace Quarter will stage a rally on Pollack Mihaly ter on April 18 in favour of preserving the Magyar Radio buildings and studios. (hirado.hu; telex.hu; infostart.hu; magyarhirlap.hu; magyarnemzet.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Socialist faces bribery charge
Parliament voted yesterday to suspend Socialist MP Zsolt Molnar’s right to immunity from prosecution, as he is accused of influence peddling.
Molnar himself had requested that his right to immunity be waived.
Prosecutors allege that former Socialist MP and cabinet member MP Ferenc Baja demanded Ft 30 million in return for ensuring that a certain company would win a contract to provide IT services to Budapest public transport company BKV in June of 2019.
Molnar allegedly heard about this corrupt arrangement and then asked Baja to demand Ft 40 million from the company and in return he would not challenge the award of the contract.
The company won the contract and Molnar was given more than Ft 40 million on August 6, 2019, prosecutors say.
Molnar denies the accusations. (telex.hu; magyarhirlap.hu; hirtv.hu; magyarnemzet.hu; mandiner.hu; nepszava.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Orban urges Hungarians outside EU to vote in EP election
Prime Minister Viktor Orban is sending letters to Hungarians living outside the EU area who do not have a Hungarian address, informing them that they can vote in the European Parliament elections and encouraging them to avail themselves of that right.
They can vote by mail, but must first register to vote by 4 p.m. on May 15.
According to the website of the National Election Office, 125,000 people have so far indicated that they would vote by mail.
Hungarians who live, study or work abroad and have a Hungarian address must travel home to vote in the June 9 election, or cast their votes at the nearest foreign Hungarian embassy. They must register by May 31.
Orban is not encouraging these people to vote, Telex adds. (telex.hu; 444.hu; blikk.hu; hirado.hu; 24.hu; magyarnemzet.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Ft 1.4trn in agricultural subsidies distributed in 2022
A total of Ft 1.4 trillion in agricultural and rural development subsidies was paid out in 2022, the Agricultural Economy Institute reported on Tuesday.
Of the total, 63.8% came from the EU, and 36.2% from the state budget.
The Rural Development Programme paid out Ft 750 billion and direct subsidies of Ft 496 billion reached the farmers.
Crop subsidies amounted to 33% of the total, animal husbandry 17% and orchards 4.5%.
Agricultural loans rose by 3.5% year-on-year to Ft 1 trillion, with subsidised loans accounting for 69% of the total.
The combined debt stock of individual farms shrank by 1.7% to Ft 369 billion, while the debt stock of agricultural co-operatives rose by 6.6% to Ft 671 billion, most of that related to animal husbandry.
The credit portfolio of the food industry fell by 2% to Ft 747 billion. (portfolio.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Free cash withdrawal at post offices
The opportunity for two free cash withdrawals of up to Ft 150,000 a month will be available at post offices, in addition to ATMs, under an amendment approved by Parliament yesterday to harmonise with EU legislation.
Free cash withdrawals from ATMs were mandated in 2014.
The adopted law transposes several European Parliament and European Council decrees and directives into Hungarian law, which aim to ensure resilience against the operational risks of digital technologies used by financial actors.
The MNB supports the availability of cash by regulating the availability of ATMs, and has ordered banks to operate a minimum level of ATMs. (portfolio.hu; economx.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Crypto asset law approved
Parliament yesterday adopted legislation regulating the issue of crypto-assets in Hungary, the offering of crypto-assets in the context of public tenders, as well as their trading, crypto-asset services, and supervisory tasks.
The classification of crypto-assets is aligned with EU regulations, therefore it distinguishes between so-called asset-based tokens, electronic money tokens, and those crypto-assets that do not qualify as either of these. The MNB will supervise this market. (portfolio.hu; novekedes.hu; rtl.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Russian retailer Mere now recruiting
Russian discount chain Mere has already set up a subsidiary in Hungary, TS Retail, with 11 employees, and is recruiting more, Telex reports, citing a Linkedin advertisement.
The owner of TS Retail is Hung Trade Beograd, founded in Belgrade last year.
The owners of the company are the same as the owners of Mere in Russia: 79% Sergey Schneider; 15% Andrej Schneider; and 6% Valery Yakovlev.
Mere is looking to hire procurement managers for a net salary of Ft 500,000 plus commission, depending on sales volume.
The company promises that it will be 20% cheaper than its competitors, but a smaller number of products compared to other chains will be available.
Goods will not be displayed and stored on shelves, but on pallets. (telex.hu; portfolio.hu; forbes.hu)
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11th April, 2024
E.ON building big solar farm for BMW
BMW Group Gyar Debrecen and electricity distributor E.ON Hungaria have signed a co-operation agreement on building a 50-hectare solar farm near the future BMW factory in the city, the companies announced yesterday.
Chairman and CEO Hans-Peter Kemser of BMW Manufacturing Hungary said the largest photovoltaic system of the BMW Group will be established in the factory, one of the largest such investments in Hungary.
The 43MW farm will consist of 320,000m2 of solar panels, of which 187,000m2 will be perched on the roofs of the factory buildings and the rest on the ground.
The farm will start generating energy –enough for the needs of 20,000 households – in November 2025, when the factory is due to start production.
E.ON will not only build but will operate the solar farm, said vice-president Zsolt Jamniczky. (portfolio.hu)
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11th April, 2024
4iG proposes debt settlement plan for Spacecom
The board of directors of 4iG has presented a plan to settle the debts owed by Space Communications (Spacecom), an Israeli company in which it owns a 20% stake, the Hungarian IT firm said on Wednesday.
If the new proposal is accepted, 4iG will purchase the Amos-17 satellite owned by Spacecom for $150 million, which Spacecom will then lease back from 4iG.
Another possibility is that 4iG will provide the $150 million to Spacecom as a loan.
4iG increased its stake in Spacecom from 9.5% to 20% via a capital increase in February 2023.
It has an option to buy an additional 31% within three years if the Israeli government and shareholders approve.
Spacecom operates the Amos 3 satellite, providing services in Hungary’s region on a geostationary orbit until 2024, after which Hungary can control the satellite’s geostationary orbit and frequency. (portfolio.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Triton sells dialysis unit to the state
The government will buy TritonLife Dialysis Centre for Ft 5.4 billion, in line with a non-public decision, HVG learned on Wednesday.
TritonLife purchased the medical service provider, then called FMC Dialysis Centre – which exclusively carried out state orders –from a German company in April 2023.
The staff were apparently unaware of the sale until the end of last week, when the change was announced at a meeting with immediate effect, HVG adds.
FMC suffered a loss of Ft 1.5 billion from Ft 11.3 billion in revenue in 2022.
B. Braun is the leader in Hungary’s dialysis market with a 40% share, followed by TritonLife with 35%, and Swedish company Diaverum with 12%. The state has the remaining 13%. (hvg.hu; telex.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Insurance agents sign pact with VOSZ
Insurance consultants’ association MBTSZ has signed a co-operation agreement with small business employers’ association VOSZ, the insurance agent group said on Wednesday.
The joint project is designed to increase the insurance awareness of the small business sector, while expanding the sector’s knowledge of insurance consultants.
Erik Keszthelyi, president of the MBTSZ, founded in January, said the association aims to take an active role in raising the prestige of the consulting profession, in part by improving insurance consultants’ business development knowledge. (hirado.hu; portfolio.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Magyar Posta opens lottery points
State postal service Magyar Posta has teamed up with Szerencsejatek to open gaming sales points, state gaming company chairwoman and CEO Andrea Mager announced at the opening of the first such point in Nyiregyhaza on Wednesday.
Separate tellers will be designated to handle gambling matters in the 20 most frequented locations.
Magyar Posta chairman and CEO Barnabas Balczo added that the company has expanded its sales agency programme in line with a new strategy adopted last year to offer a broad range of services and products, in addition to traditional postal services. (novekedes.hu; atv.hu)
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11th April, 2024
Sixth border station to open between Hungary and Ukraine
The number of border stations between Ukraine and Hungary will rise to six with the opening of a new link between Velika Palagy and Nagyhodos, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced on his Facebook page on Wednesday.
He said deputy prime minister Oleksandr Kubrakov and Hungary’s ambassador to Ukraine had signed a related agreement earlier this week, so it has been definitively decided that a new border station will be opened.
Thanks to the new crossing, queues will get smaller, making life easier for ordinary people, Szijjarto added. (klubradio.hu)
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