Hungary PM brushes aside OSCE election monitor criticism

BUDAPEST: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban brushed aside criticism of Sunday's parliamentary vote issued by an international election monitor, telling the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe on Tuesday "thanks for the contribution".

The OSCE said on Monday that the election did not offer opposition parties a level playing field amid a host of problems marring a vote that nonetheless generally respected fundamental rights.

Orban also told his first news conference since Sunday's landslide win that Hungary's public debt would decline further.