Deputy Prime Minister Zsolt Semjén has said that the Government of Hungary welcomes the result of joint efforts achieved by the Hungarian community in the municipal elections on Sunday.

According to the Prime Minister’s Christian Democrat deputy, partial results already show that the joint county list of the two Hungarian parties – the Transcarpathian Hungarian Cultural Association (KMKSZ) and the Hungarian Democratic Federation in Ukraine (UMDSZ) – has already passed the 5 per cent threshold necessary to get into Parliament.

He pointed out that as a result of joint efforts (and with the support of the two Hungarian parties), Zoltán Babják won a landslide victory in the Berehovo mayoral election. Partial results show that in most areas densely inhabited by Hungarians, the KMKSZ list is leading, which will also significantly influence the final results, such as in the districts of Vynohradiv, Uzhhorod and Berehovo.

Data shows that the message of cooperation reached Hungarians living in Transcarpathia, and the fact that those working and studying in Hungary had exercised their right to vote and participated in the elections greatly contributed to the success, Mr. Semjén underlined.

At the most recent municipal elections the two main Transcarpathian Hungarian organisations – the KMKSZ and the UMDSZ – collaborated for the first time in order to establish a joint candidate list in the Transcarpathia County Council (general assembly) and other municipalities.

(Prime Minister's Office/MTI)