MORE than 2,500 Hungarians protested outside parliament on Sunday against government corruption, austerity measures and deteriorating social welfare programmes.

Protest organiser Zoltan Vajda said the 2015 state budget, which went before parliament today, was unworthy of Hungary.

“The government is a lie.

“Their whole system is based on lies — and Prime Minister Viktor Orban himself is a lie,” Mr Vajda said.

Rallies against the Orban government have been held regularly over the past two months, sparked by a failed attempt to tax internet use and suspected corruption among top officials, including at the national tax office.

“Why are there many thousands of us here on this cold winter night on the third Sunday of Advent instead of at home baking cookies?” Mr Vajda asked, to which protesters yelled: “So Orban will go away.”