Balint Pastor: SVM Holds Final Rally in Subotica Thursday

The Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians (SVM) has held more than 450 campaign rallies in over 100 places across Vojvodina, party president Balint Pastor said on the “Napindito” show on Subotica Hungarian Radio ahead of Sunday’s elections. Pastor said the figures are preliminary. SVM will hold its final campaign rally on Thursday, October 22, in the sports hall in Subotica.

What did Pastor say about the campaign?

One of the most important goals of the election, the SVM president said, is preserving strong political representation of the interests of Vojvodina Hungarians. He singled out face-to-face meetings with citizens, where, by his account, people’s complaints and problems were discussed.

He urged voters to back the Hungarian electoral list, drawing a comparison with Bosnia and Herzegovina: Serbs there vote for Serb parties, Croats for Croat parties, Bosniaks for Bosniak parties. Pastor stressed that the reason is not nationality itself, but that SVM, as he put it, has represented many interests important to the Hungarian community in the past. The only question, he added, is how much strength it will have to keep doing so.

“There will be Hungarian representation in parliament only if Hungarians vote for SVM.”

How small are the Hungarian-language classes?

The conversation turned to education because of the school reform in Slovakia. Pastor warned that even in Vojvodina, the survival of small classes taught in Hungarian cannot be taken for granted.

The figures he cited are not new. Pastor said he presents concrete data throughout the campaign and, in his own words, wanted to repeat this: in 23 places in Vojvodina there are 41 primary school classes in which one, two or three pupils attend instruction in Hungarian. He added a broader measure:

“Of more than 800 primary school classes in Hungarian, more than 500 have fewer than 15 pupils.”

Pastor said that if the rule of law were applied strictly and the law carried out to the letter, more than 500 of the more than 800 such classes could be closed. Opening a single class requires the consent of three institutions: the provincial government, the republic government and the Hungarian National Council. That is why, he said, strong political representation is needed in Belgrade, in Novi Sad and in the Hungarian National Council.

“Our task is to ensure education in Hungarian for everyone,” Pastor said.

What about the dormitory and young people?

The interview also covered preparations for building a future student dormitory for the “Kostolanji Deze” Gymnasium for Gifted Students in Subotica. The dormitory will have 118 places, and almost five million euros has been secured for the project from provincial funds.

Pastor also spoke about the role of young people in the party. Marking the 20th anniversary of the SVM Youth Forum, he said young people have the chance to become politically involved at the local, provincial and republic levels. Some young Vojvodina Hungarians, he said, want change in Serbia, while also considering it important to preserve Hungarian representation in the National Assembly.

What comes after the final rally?

The final rally in Subotica starts on Thursday at 6 p.m. After brief political addresses, the band 3+2 will perform.

A day later, on October 23, SVM marks the 70th anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and fight for freedom. Pastor announced that it will take place with respect for the election silence, meaning the tribute to the heroes will pass without messages from day-to-day politics.

Pastor said Sunday’s elections alone will not resolve the political crisis in Serbia. He also expressed hope that everyone will accept the election results and that social peace will be preserved. The interview also mentioned the election of a new mayor of Subotica, which is expected to be held in early November.