RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol 2, No. 241 16 December 1998

HUNGARIAN OPPOSITION BLOCKS CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT
REGARDING NATO TROOPS. Hungary's two largest opposition
parties on 15 December blocked a constitutional
amendment that would have facilitated the movement of
NATO troops across Hungary's territory, Hungarian media
report. Parliamentary members of the Socialist Party
abstained from voting on the issue, while the Free
Democrats did not take part in the ballot. With only 204
votes in favor, the ruling coalition fell short of the
necessary two-thirds majority in the 386-seat
parliament. Socialist Party Chairman Laszlo Kovacs said
the opposition's abstention was an expression of lack of
confidence in the cabinet. MSZ

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