“The National Consultation data has been fully processed; the result indicates that to all intents and purposes the Hungarians unanimously reject the ‘Soros Plan’ and mandatory resettlement, and are against all political action aimed at realising it”, Government Spokesperson Zoltán Kovács declared at his press conference in Budapest on Wednesday, among the millions of boxed questionnaires.
According to Mr. Kovács, 2,356,811 National Consultation questionnaires were returned, 2,178,320 by post and 178,491 via the internet. The number of responses rejecting the “Soros Plan” was above 2.3 million with regard to all seven questions included in the Consultation.
Based on the number of questionnaires returned, the Government Spokesperson said the National Consultation on the “Soros Plan” was the most successful ever. He stressed that the processing of the questionnaires had been completed before the 31 January deadline and that the responses had been stored in accordance with data protection requirements.
Mr. Kovács recalled that the questions concerned the settlement of one million migrants-a-year in Europe, the border security fence rejected by Brussels, mandatory resettlement, the 9 million forints in welfare payable to immigrants, the lenient treatment of migrants who commit crimes, the relegation of national cultures, and political attacks against countries that are against immigration.
“The Hungarians reject all arguments, plans and attempts aimed at persuading Hungary to become an immigrant country. Accordingly, the Government will continue to consistently reject all attempts to blackmail and threaten it into ‘giving in’ and submitting to Brussels’ intentions”, the Government Spokesperson stressed.
The events of recent days all indicate that Hungary will continue to be under attack because of its standpoint with regard to immigration, Mr. Kovács said, citing the visit to Budapest n Tuesday by MEP Judith Sargentini, who is rapporteur for an upcoming European Parliament report on the state of the rule of law in Hungary.
He also mentioned the fact that George Soros would like to establish a network of offices in provincial Hungary.
“Regardless, the Government’s main duty is to withstand this pressure and these attempts to exert influence”, he added.
In reply to a question on how much was paid to the post office, the Government Spokesperson told reporters that the itemised accounts for both the postal services and the cost of promoting the National Consultation would be settled by the end of this month and that all data of this nature will be made public.
When asked by one reporter whether it would be possible to check the questionnaires, Mr. Kovács said that “despite the lies being spread by the LMP”, the questionnaires are available for viewing. “The opinion of 2.3 million people cannot be ignored”, he declared.
The Government Spokesperson said the behaviour of LMP Co-Chairman Ákos Hadházy was outrageous and atrocious. “The Government had and will continue to report on all data”, he stressed. We expected nothing less from the “mediocre” left wing party, which “is in George Soros’s pocket”, he explained.
In reply to a question from the press concerning reports that the Government was preparing to spend a further 11 billion forints on advertising until July, and whether this meant that another campaign was to be expected, Mr. Kovács said the Government would inform the public in advance with relation to all activities of a political nature. “There has been a continuous smear campaign going on against Hungary for the past seven years”, he noted.
With relation to the economic summit organised by German publisher Axel Springer, at which Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will be giving a lecture today in Berlin, a member f the press asked if this meant that the number of state media outlets would be increasing. “I don’t understand the question”, Mr. Kovács said, indicating that the association was a mistaken one. “This is the tenth conference of this kind, at which business and political leaders come together; it is a free forum that provides an opportunity for honest dialogue”, he highlighted.
In reply to a question on why the Prime Minister is not holding debates with potential challengers, the Government Spokesperson said: “There seems to be some confusion within opposition circles with regard to who exactly they would be willing to support. No official potential challengers are really known”.
Several reporters enquired with relation to the fines recently imposed by the State Audit Office. Mr. Kovács emphasised that the Ministry for National Economy, the National Tax and Customs Administration and the Hungarian State Treasury had been in consultation with regard to the fines. “Although all fines for prohibited party funding will have to be paid, in view of the upcoming election the Treasury is providing a preparation period of six months and offering the opportunity to affect payment in instalments”, he highlighted, noting: “Accordingly, nobody will become a ‘martyr’, despite the fact that many would like to be”, citing as an example the Jobbik party, which according to the Government Spokesperson has been “wimping”.
Mr. Kovács stressed that the fines were not aimed at making life difficult for anyone, but that the law must be adhered to by all. Accordingly, no exemptions will be issued, but nobody will find themselves at a disadvantage during the course of the election campaign. Further details were available from treasury officials, he told the press.
With relation to the fact that several parties have indicated that they will be refusing to pay the fines, the Government Spokesperson said they had to settle accounts with their own consciences. “In recent years it was precisely these political groups that called to account the Cabinet the most loudly with relation to the rule of law, and despite this it is they are now clearly breaking the law”, he added.
With relation to individual pension account, Mr. Kovács said the Government had not given up on introducing them, but that this is a complicated issue that affects the whole social services system. “The state structure doesn’t work in a way whereby the payments made accumulate on an individual account, from which the pension is subsequently paid. The way accounts are settled is difficult to understand for the average citizen”, he explained.
In reply to a question, the Government Spokesperson spoke about the fact that the Government had not handed out “blank cheques” at the end of last year: the money distributed is for the performance of predetermined tasks in accordance with real requirements. “In Transcarpathia, Vojvodina and Transylvania, fundamental inadequacies must be compensated for within the field of education, for example”, he added.
(MTI)
