Hungary PM suffers rare defeat in refugee voteNovember 8, 2016 - 16:07 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Hungary's radical right Jobbik dealt all-powerful Prime Minister Viktor Orban a rare defeat on Tuesday, November 8 as it blocked his bid to change the constitution to bar the resettlement of refugees, AFP reports. While all 131 MPs of Orban's ruling right-wing coalition voted in favour, the bill failed to pick up an extra two votes to reach a required two-thirds majority in Hungary's parliament. Jobbik has been a natural ally to Orban in the populist right-winger's bid to stop Hungary taking in any of the hundreds of thousands of migrants who arrived in Europe in 2015. But Jobbik is currently vying with the Socialists as the second most popular party in the country, and laid a surprise ambush for Orban earlier this month. Spotting a rare opportunity for leverage, Jobbik's leader Gabor Vona had announced after a recent one-on-one meeting with Orban it would vote for the bill. But this was on the condition that the government scraps a controversial cash-for-residency bond scheme for wealthy foreigners, particularly from Russia, China and the Middle East. After the vote Tuesday, Jobbik lawmakers held up a banner reading: "The traitor is he who lets in terrorists for money." It included a logo of Orban's Fidesz party in an Arabic-style font. Jobbik have long called the residency bonds, generally sold via offshore companies, a "dirty business" and a national security risk that could be exploited even by Islamic State jihadists. "Neither poor nor rich migrants should be allowed to settle in Hungary," Vona said. Unused to not getting his own way since winning a supermajority in 2010 and reelection in 2014, Orban was caught offguard by the ultimatum and initially said he would "consider" Vona's gambit. But Orban later told parliament that the government "would not give in to blackmail" and urged Jobbik not to connect the bond scheme with the change to the constitution which he called "an affair of national importance". Related links: Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Russian Ambassador to Armenia summoned to Moscow for consultations Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin has been summoned to Moscow for consultations. Armenian border troops stationed in Tavush Starting from May 24, the Armenian border troops officially take over the protection of sections of the border in the Tavush region. Welcome to CaseKey 2024. Byblos Bank Armenia firmly stands by future innovators Strategic business cases, invaluable experience, innovative approaches and more than 25 events are in store for the participants of CaseKey 2024. Macron honors Charles Aznavour on 100th anniversary French President Emmanuel Macron has paid tribute to the memory of French-Armenian crooner Charles Aznavour. |