BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — A journalist who called for a national referendum on Budapest’s bid to host the 2024 Olympics says she will appeal to Hungary’s highest court after election authorities rejected her initiative.
Investigative journalist Katalin Erdelyi said Wednesday she was disappointed but not surprised by the decision of the National Election Committee, which voted 9-2 to refuse her bid to ask citizens if they wanted parliament to repeal the law about bidding for and hosting the Olympics.
An earlier attempt by Erdelyi to organize a referendum just in Budapest was also rejected. Critics say the Olympics are too expensive, with a large risk of corruption.