by Nick Thorpe
In Budapest

A referendum is taking place in Hungary on European Union accession – the third of the 10 countries invited to join in May next year to put the question to a vote.

All four of the parties represented in the Hungarian parliament are in favour of accession, while several small, mainly right-wing groups have campaigned for a 'no' vote on the grounds that the terms on offer from Brussels will harm significant parts of the population.

Malta and Slovenia backed EU entry last month
The campaign for this referendum has raged for barely two months and has been rather one-sided from the outset.

An EU communications office set up by the centre-left government, although with some opposition participation, has run a slick and very modern campaign.

A digitalised telephone centre fielded hundreds of thousands of questions, but enquirers were faced with standard responses.

Critics say real experts, knowledgeable enough to answer real questions, would have been more effective.

One-sided debate

Public meetings around the country have been more popular, dealing with worries about new regulations, workplaces and prices.

The centre-left government of Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy has underlined that accession will be good for everyone.

The centre-right Fidesz Party, led by former prime minister Victor Orban, warns that many could suffer initially, but that the EU will be good for Hungary in the long run.

Battling against almost the entire political establishment, a small cluster of right wing groups and individuals are calling for a no vote.

They say that the country is being sold out to foreign capital and that Hungarian smallholders in particular will suffer.

Discussion/Fórum