RFE/RL NEWSLINE 
Vol. 1, No. 138, 14 October 1997

HUNGARIAN CONSTITUTIONAL COURT OPPOSES GOVERNMENT
REFERENDUM INITIATIVE. The Constitutional Court on 13 October
ruled that the parliament's decision to use the government's wording
of the referendum on land ownership by foreigners is
unconstitutional. The court pointed out that the opposition-backed
wording had been supported by more than 200,000 signatures and
argued that, under the basic law, the opposition version must take
priority over the government one. The government coalition
responded by announcing it wants the 16 November referendum to
be on NATO accession only. The opposition, however, insists that the
referendum include the one question on NATO entry and the two
questions on foreign land ownership as formulated by the opposition.

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