Senior analyst Dániel Deák explained in a video published on the institute's website on Friday that the left-wing parties and Péter Márki-Zay suffered a "huge failure", as they were unable to collect 200,000 signatures in a month, and only managed to get 235,000 per question by Friday.


The opposition has been collecting signatures since the middle of December, as they wanted their own referendum to be held at the same time as the parliamentary election, he recalled. However, he stressed, this failed, since the left wing, which they claimed mobilized 700-800 thousand people in the primary election, gathered only 170 thousand signatures in one month.

According to Dániel Deák, this clearly shows the disillusionment of the opposition voters, the "main reason of which is the scandalous and disastrous campaign of Péter Márki-Zay".

He said: it is certain that nothing will come of the referendum initiative, since based on the schedule for calling the referendum, once the required number of signatures have been collected, the National Electoral Office has 60 days to check the signatures, and the authentication can be challenged, which has an additional 10 days for legal remedies .

Dániel Deák called it important that the 200,000 submitted signatures are not enough, as many may be invalid, so the left should collect at least 250,000.

After that, the National Assembly has 30 days to order the referendum, and then the President of the Republic has 15 days to set the date of the referendum; and this date can be 50 days before the appointment.

The leading analyst also reminded that "in addition" the referendum can be challenged even at the Constitutional Court, and then assessed that the left "simply ran out of time". And after the election, there is no point in keeping it, because the left only intended it as a campaign topic, he added.

Dániel Deák reminded that Fidesz, even in opposition, initiated a referendum on the issue of visiting fees, daily hospital fees and tuition fees, which was finally able to be held in 2008 after a long legal procedure. In October 2007, Fidesz collected nearly 300,000 signatures for its referendum initiative in 48 hours, he added.

The leading analyst also touched on the latest poll results, which show the strengthening of Fidesz and the weakening of the left.

According to his point of view, the reason for this is that "while the right-wing is conducting a concerted campaign and expressing clear messages, we cannot see this on the left".

"They don't have a vision, they don't have a vision for the future, they were just weak program ads that don't say anything meaningful about what the left would do with Hungary if it came to government," he said.

He continued: "what they have announced so far does not even reflect their real goals, which is clearly shown by the fact that Péter Márki-Zay has repeatedly pulled the veil off his true aspirations: he would implement Ferenc Gyurcsány's program, since he would end the utility reduction, privatize healthcare and raise taxes ".

According to Dániel Deák's assessment, it is not surprising that even left-wing voters fear that if the left comes to power, they would be financially disadvantaged.

He emphasized: despite this, the national side cannot sit back, since "it is not sympathy that is important, but the votes cast".

He also spoke about the fact that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán will give his annual evaluation speech on February 12, which is considered the opening of the campaign, and then the Peace March on March 15, two weeks before the parliamentary elections, could also have a mobilizing effect. "The left, on the other hand, only hopes for foreign intervention, they have already openly talked about the possibility of the American CIA interfering in the campaign even on Klubrádio," he assessed.

MTI

Front page photo: Mayor Gergely Karácsony gives a speech before handing over the signature sheets collected for the opposition referendum initiative on Fudan University and the job search allowance at Kossuth Lajos Square in front of the Parliament on January 21, 2022.
MTI/Zoltán Balogh