Thousands protest against PM Orban's government, "runaway inflation" - Reuters

BUDAPEST, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Thousands of Hungarians including teachers and students marched done Budapest connected Sunday to protestation against the government, demanding higher wages for teachers and a curb connected surging ostentation that is eroding incomes.

Walking crossed a span implicit the Danube, protesters held up banners similar "Orban get lost" and "No teachers, nary future," a fewer hours aft nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban pledged to sphere economical stableness and support a headdress connected household vigor bills adjacent arsenic the EU slides into an "economic crisis".

But astatine the latest successful a bid of anti-government protests participants said his authorities had fto teachers down by giving them meagre salaries, portion inflation, which topped 20% successful September and is inactive rising, was becoming unbearable.

"I americium here...for my children, determination should beryllium change," said Gyongyi Bereczky, a message carrier, who joined the protests for the archetypal time. "This runaway inflation... we cannot prevention up astatine each anymore, simply we cannot marque ends conscionable arsenic prices are soaring."

Teachers and students person been protesting for higher wages, a solution to a deepening shortage of teachers, and the close to strike. work much work much

As the state marked the day of the 1956 uprising against Soviet rule, Orban, who was reelected for a 4th consecutive word successful April, said earlier connected Sunday that adjacent twelvemonth would airs challenges with the warfare successful neighbouring Ukraine.

"A warfare successful the east, and an economical situation successful the West," Orban told supporters successful Zalaegerszeg, astir 200 km (124 miles)west of Budapest, adding that determination was "financial situation and economical downturn successful the EU".

"In 1956 we learnt that unity is needed successful hard times... we volition sphere economical stability, everyone volition person a job, we tin support the strategy of caps connected vigor bills, and families volition not beryllium near connected their own."

Caps connected state and energy bills person been a cardinal plank of Orban's policies, but the costs of the strategy surged this twelvemonth owed to soaring vigor prices, burdening the authorities budget. The authorities was forced to scrap the headdress for higher-usage households from Aug. 1.

It is owed to amend the 2023 fund successful December arsenic the fund law, approved successful July, forecast maturation astatine 4.1% adjacent twelvemonth portion ostentation was seen astatine 5.2% -- forecasts since rendered obsolete by the surge successful prices into double-digits. Economic maturation is present expected to dilatory to 1% adjacent year.

The forint plunged to grounds lows earlier this month, forcing the cardinal slope to ramp up involvement rates successful an exigency move.

Reporting by Krisztina Than, Additional reporting by Krisztina Fenyo Editing by William Maclean

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