Ex-president, -László Sólyom -criticises mandatory registration before elections

The government's plans to introduce mandatory registration for voters if they wish to cast their ballot run contrary to the constitution, former President Laszlo Solyom said on Saturday, as reported by internet portal Origo.hu . Pre-election registration would also violate the European charter of human rights, the portal quoted Solyom as saying at a local festival in Aszofo, western Hungary. According to the portal, Solyom voiced sharp criticism of government policies, insisting that the government was working "full steam" to strengthen its political and economic positions. The former president also said that the government's measures during the past two years involved "so much destruction, grievances and losses to the national economy". Solyom, however, blamed both the government and the opposition for an unprecedented increase in the proportion of undecided voters. "Fewer and fewer people will stand the humiliation which emanates both from the unexplained and aggressive government measures and from the clamour of the opposition, which has justly lost its credit, on behalf of democracy," Origo quoted Solyom as saying. The government has degraded the constitution into a political tool, he said, adding that the constitution is being further "destroyed by amendments serving daily purposes". Though the Fidesz-Christian Democratic government had several good plans worth supporting, those causes were destroyed by "the style and methods of government", Solyom said. Asan example for such causes Solyom mentioned the government's handling the pension reform, and said that "not even the outlines of a (new) sustainable pension system have been created" while the collectivised private pension funds have been used to reduce the state debt.