2008 Hungarian fees abolition referendum

Nation-wide three-question referendumgov November 2022 thumb|200px|right|Fidesz posters at Hungarian fees abolishment referendum, 2008. A referendum on revoking some medical and tuition fees was held in Hungary on 9 March 2008.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p899 978-3-8329-5609-7 The proposals would cancel government reforms which introduced doctor visit fees paid per visitation and medical fees paid per number of days spent in hospital as well as tuition fees in higher education. All three were supported by a majority of voters. Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány stated that the fees would be abolished on 1 April 2008 following the referendum, but that the government had no funds available to replace the income lost for the higher educations institutions and health institutions due to the abolishment of the fees. Background The referendum was initiated by opposition party Fidesz against the ruling Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP). The procedure for the referendum started on 23 October 2006, when Viktor Orbán, the leader of Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union announced they would hand in seven questions to the National Electorate Office, three of which (on abolishing co-payments, daily fees and college tuition fees) were officially approved on 17 December 2007 and called on 24 January 2008. It was assumed likely that the referendum would pass, but it was uncertain whether turnout would be high enough to make it valid;"Hungarian president announces referendum date", Xinhua (People's Daily Online), 24 January 2008. polls indicated about 40% turnout with 80% in favour of rescinding the three reforms.Hungary's ruling MSZP vows to stick to medical reforms despite referendum - People's Daily Online To be valid, the referendum required at least 25% of the about 8 million eligible voters to vote in favour of one of the options. Questions Hungarian text English translation Egyetért-e Ön azzal, hogy a fekvőbeteg-gyógyintézeti ellátásért a jelen kérdésben megtartott népszavazást követő év január 1-jétől ne kelljen kórházi napidíjat fizetni? Do you agree that inpatient care should be exempt from daily hospital fees with effect from 1 January in the year after the referendum is held on the present issue?Nohlen & Stöver, p913 Egyetért-e Ön azzal, hogy a háziorvosi ellátásért, fogászati ellátásért és a járóbeteg-szakellátásért a jelen kérdésben megtartott népszavazást követő év január 1-jétől ne kelljen vizitdíjat fizetni? Do you agree that family doctor care, dentistry care and special outpatient care should be exempt from consultation fees with effect from 1 January in the year after the referendum is held on the present issue? Egyetért-e Ön azzal, hogy az államilag támogatott felsőfokú tanulmányokat folytató hallgatóknak ne kelljen képzési hozzájárulást fizetni? Do you agree that students in state-subsidised higher education should be exempt from tuition fees? Results QuestionForAgainstInvalid/blankTotalvotesRegisteredvotersTurnoutOutcomeVotes%Votes%Inpatient care exempt from daily hospital fees3,385,98184.1640,93615.932,2684,059,1858,040,12550.5ApprovedExemptions from consultation fees3,321,31382.4708,28317.629,6054,059,20150.5ApprovedHigher education tuition fee exemption3,309,61682.2715,64217.833,8634,059,12150.5ApprovedSource: Nohlen & Stöver, National Election Office Turnout On the day of the referendum, the following turnout data was reported: Time%By 07:001.13By 09:007.66By 11:0018.69By 13:0026.92By 15:0035.71By 17:3046.34By 19:0050.48 Voting was possible between 6:00 and 19:00. Official results showed that the necessary votes were achieved, with a turnout of over 50% (higher than opinion polls had expected). Aftermath The MSZP–SZDSZ coalition suffered a heavy defeat.https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/article/2008/majority-vote-yes-in-referendum-to-abolish-medical-and-higher-education-fees Majority vote 'yes' in referendum to abolish medical and higher 2020-11-24 2020-12-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20201201045514/https://www.eurofound.europa.eu/publications/article/2008/majority-vote-yes-in-referendum-to-abolish-medical-and-higher-education-fees dead After Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány intended to dismiss Health Minister Ágnes Horváth hu Horváth Ágnes (politikus) (SZDSZ), the relationship between the two parties permanently deteriorated. On 31 March 2008, various reform-related disagreements between the MSZP and SZDSZ led the SZDSZ leader János Kóka to announce that his party would quit the coalition by 1 May 2008.https://www.reuters.com/article/us-hungary-politics/hungarys-governing-coalition-to-break-up-idUSL3106082420080331 Hungary's governing coalition to break up Reuters 31 March 2008 Chance Gergely Szakacs This also meant that the MSZP formed the first minority government in Hungary since the end of communism, supported externally by SZDSZ. References Fees abolishment referendum, 2008 Hungary 2008 fees abolishment referendum Category:Healthcare in Hungary Category:Fees