In a vote late Monday, 195 representatives voted for modification of the Constitution to replace the 19-county provincial government system with seven regions, while 148 opposed it. Modification of an act governing local elections was backed by 194 MPs and voted down by 18, with 134 abstentions. Both measures would have needed a two-thirds majority, or 255 votes, to pass but the government side failed to receive the necessary support from the opposition.
At the announcement of the reform plans in June, Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany estimated the costs savings of these measures at around HUF 70 bln per year.
NAPI Online