# 2008 Hungarian fees abolition referendum

Politics of Hungary :
Constitution
1949 Constitution
Constitutional Court :
Executive
President (list)
Tamás Sulyok
Government
Current cabinet
Prime Minister (list)
Viktor Orbán :
Parliament
National Assembly
Speaker: László Kövér
Political parties
Fidesz
Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP)
Jobbik
Politics Can Be Different (LMP)
Dialogue for Hungary (PM)
Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP)
Democratic Coalition (DK)
Momentum Movement (M)
Everybody's Hungary Movement (MMM)
Our Homeland Movement (MH) :
Recent elections
Parliamentary: 201820222026
Presidential: 201720222024
Local: 201420192024
European: 201420192024 :
Budapest
Mayor of Budapest
Gergely Karácsony
Mayoral elections
1994
1998
2002
2006
2010
2014
2019
2024 :
Administrative divisions
Districts
Counties
Regions
Subregions :
Foreign relations
Austria–Hungary relations
China–Hungary relations
France–Hungary relations
Germany–Hungary relations
Hungary–Italy relations
Hungary–Russia relations
Hungary–United Kingdom relations
Hungary–United States relations
Timeline of Hungary–European Union relations
Politics of the European Union :
Hungary portal
Other countries :
vte :
A referendum on revoking some medical and tuition fees was held in Hungary on 9 March 2008. The proposals would cancel government reforms which introduced doctor visit fees paid per visitation and medical fees paid per number of days spent in hospital as well as tuition fees in higher education. All three were supported by a majority of voters. Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány stated that the fees would be abolished on 1 April 2008 following the referendum, but that the government had no funds available to replace the income lost for the higher educations institutions and health institutions due to the abolishment of the fees.

## Background

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

## Questions

| Hungarian text | English translation |
| Egyetért-e Ön azzal, hogy a fekvőbeteg-gyógyintézeti ellátásért a jelen kérdésben megtartott népszavazást követő év január 1-jétől ne kelljen kórházi napidíjat fizetni? | 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? |
| Egyetért-e Ön azzal, hogy a háziorvosi ellátásért, fogászati ellátásért és a járóbeteg-szakellátásért a jelen kérdésben megtartott népszavazást követő év január 1-jétől ne kelljen vizitdíjat fizetni? | 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? |
| Egyetért-e Ön azzal, hogy az államilag támogatott felsőfokú tanulmányokat folytató hallgatóknak ne kelljen képzési hozzájárulást fizetni? | Do you agree that students in state-subsidised higher education should be exempt from tuition fees? |

## Results

| Question | For | For | Against | Against | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | Outcome |
| Question | Votes | % | Votes | % | Invalid/ blank | Total votes | Registered voters | Turnout | Outcome |
| Inpatient care exempt from daily hospital fees | 3,385,981 | 84.1 | 640,936 | 15.9 | 32,268 | 4,059,185 | 8,040,125 | 50.5 | Approved |
| Exemptions from consultation fees | 3,321,313 | 82.4 | 708,283 | 17.6 | 29,605 | 4,059,201 | 8,040,125 | 50.5 | Approved |
| Higher education tuition fee exemption | 3,309,616 | 82.2 | 715,642 | 17.8 | 33,863 | 4,059,121 | 8,040,125 | 40.5 | Approved |
| Source: Nohlen & Stöver, National Election Office ||||||||||

### Turnout

On the day of the referendum, the following turnout data was reported:
| Time | % |
| By 07:00 | 1.13 |
| By 09:00 | 7.66 |
| By 11:00 | 18.69 |
| By 13:00 | 26.92 |
| By 15:00 | 35.71 |
| By 17:30 | 46.34 |
| By 19:00 | 50.48 |
Voting was possible between 6:00 and 19:00. Official results showed that the necessary votes were achieved, with a turnout of over 50% (higher than opinion polls had expected).

## Aftermath

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