Thousands protest constitutional amendments in Hungary

Thousands of Hungarians poured into the center of Budapest on March 9 to protest against amendments to the country's Constitution.

The protest came after Prime Minister Viktor Orban's center-right Fidesz party took the unprecedented step of using its two-thirds majority in parliament to introduce laws that protesters said "restrict civil liberties."

Protesters included high school students, who argued that the constitutional amendments would limit the prospects of young people going to university because the state would only subsidize students who commit to working in the country after graduation.

A protest in Budapest. Illustrative photo. (Source: AP)

The Hungarian Parliament is expected to hold a final vote on the constitutional amendments on March 11.

Faced with the above situation, the President of the European Commission (EC) had a phone call with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, asking the Hungarian Government to act "in accordance" with the EU's democratic principles.

Previously, the European Council and the United States also urged Budapest to postpone the referendum. However, the Fidesz Party leader affirmed that outside interference in Hungary's internal affairs is unacceptable./.

According to (TTXVN) - DT