HATC SAMPLE EDITION:    Politics & Foreign Relations    Economic News    Business News    Other News of Interest    All stories	2nd February, 2026 Jobbik’s Xmas Eve holiday referendum bid fails The national referendum initiative launched by Jobbik to make December 24 a public holiday has failed to gather sufficient public backing, as fewer than 100,000 valid signatures were submitted, the National Election Committee (NVB) has declared. The NVB approved the question last May, and Jobbik handed in the signature sheets on December 23. Under the Basic Law, Parliament must order a national referendum if at least 200,000 voters support an initiative, and may do so at its discretion with 100,000 signatures, or at the request of the head of state or the government. As the threshold of 100,000 valid signatures was not reached, Parliament has no legal obligation to order a referendum, the NVB said. Sources regularly consulted, with abbreviations used in text: Népszabadság (N); Magyar Hírlap (MH); Világgazdaság (VG); Napi Gazdaság (NG); Magyar Nemzet (MN); Népszava (Nsz); Kossuth Rádió news (KR); nightly TV news (TV).
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