2008 Hungarian fees abolition referendum

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;[3] polls indicated about 40% turnout with 80% in favour of rescinding the three reforms.[4]

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.

1. 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?[2]
2. 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?[2]
3. Do you agree that students in state-subsidised higher education should be exempt from tuition fees?[2]

The MSZP–SZDSZ coalition suffered a heavy defeat.[5] After Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány intended to dismiss Health Minister Ágnes Horváth (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.[6] This also meant that the MSZP formed the first minority government in Hungary since the end of communism, supported externally by SZDSZ.