Post Tagged with: "MSZP"

Klára Dobrev (left) and Ferenc Gyurcsány (right) cast their ballots on Sunday, with their family.

Ferenc Gyurcsány’s Democratic Coalition becomes largest opposition party in Hungary

The Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) and Jobbik both had their respective rendez-vous with destiny on Sunday night. At the same time, former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány’s Democratic Coalition (DK) and the fledgling Momentum party, both underestimated in opinion polls, caused much surprise by their strong showing in European Parliament elections in Hungary. The results were as follows, with turn-out at […]

by · May 27, 2019 · Politics
Bertalan Tóth at Sunday's MSZP Congress. Photo: MTI.

The new face of the Hungarian Socialist Party

Starting Monday, Bertalan Tóth faces a most unenviable task, following his election as leader of the Hungarian Socialist Party, winning 54% of the ballots cast at the MSZP congress on Sunday. The 42 year old politician has less than a year to salvage the Hungarian Socialist Party–the dominant political formation in Hungary for two decades following the transition to democracy […]

by · June 17, 2018 · Politics
Gábor Fodor / MTI Fotó: Rosta Tibor

It may be time for the Hungarian opposition parties to throw in the towel

“What the opposition has been doing since the election is even worse than what it did before the vote. And that’s quite an accomplishment”… These words are from Ildikó Lendvai, former leader of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP). She appeared on ATV’s Egyenes Beszéd show alongside Károly Herényi, a former politician of the now defunct Hungarian Democratic Forum–the party that […]

by · May 24, 2018 · Politics
Péter Medgyessy in ATV's studios in 2017.

Former PM Péter Medgyessy congratulates Azerbaijan’s ruler for his “excellent” work

Former Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy, who governed Hungary from 2002 to 2004 and led a Socialist-Free Democrat coalition government, felt it was appropriate to issue an effusive congratulatory letter to Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan. Mr. Aliyev won 86% of the popular vote in an election that the OSCE determined had involved widespread ballot box stuffing. This did not seem to concern […]

by · May 1, 2018 · East
Election signs for Mr. Karácsony and the MSZP-Párbeszéd supported candidate in Pécs.

Tactical voting and the struggle to unite the Hungarian opposition in the 11th hour

Five days before the 8th April vote, opposition parties are struggling to unite in swing ridings, and key politicians are contradicting each other. According to reports published in Index on Tuesday afternoon, the Hungarian Socialist Party – Párbeszéd alliance (MSZP-P) decided to withdraw its candidate in Central Budapest in favour of Antal Csárdi of the Politics Can Be Different party […]

by · April 3, 2018 · Politics
Hungarians deface a government anti-Soros billboard. It now reads: Don't let there be a line-up at the toilet. Vomit from the government propaganda at home!"

Orbán bans Fidesz politicians from attacking George Soros

The international alt-right, which has come to view Viktor Orbán as a beacon of hope, will be sorely disappointed this morning. According to the conservative Magyar Nemzet daily, Fidesz party headquarters issued a directive to all government politicians expressly prohibiting them from posting negative commentary about George Soros on social media. Viktor Orbán’s decision to end a two-and-a-half year long […]

by · February 28, 2018 · Politics
Péter Márki-Zay on election night in Hódmezővásárhely.

A small Hungarian town exposed the fallacy of the Orbán regime

János Lázár, the Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, tried to find a silver lining in the 16-point landslide defeat that the ruling Fidesz party suffered on home turf–in the solidly conservative town of Hódmezővásárhely. Before congratulating the united opposition’s candidate, Péter Máki-Zay, Mr. Lázár kept repeating that Fidesz had not lost any votes in this elections. With 9,468 votes […]

by · February 26, 2018 · Politics
Závecz Research

Polling data: Fidesz support drops slightly

A new Závecz Research poll shows that Fidesz support is down by one percent, while the number of Hungarians who would like a change in government rose by three percent, from 40% to 43%, based on polling data gathered in February. It’s worth noting that this was the last poll conducted prior to the official launch of the election campaign. […]

by · February 21, 2018 · Politics
Viktor Orbán debates then Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány in 2006. The experience was so jarring for Mr. Orbán that he never again engaged in debate with an opponent.

Forcing Viktor Orbán to debate his opponents through legislation

Hungary has gone through two national election campaigns (2010 and 2014), in which Prime Minister Viktor Orbán refused to engage his opponents in televised debates. Ever since performing poorly against then Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány in the 2006 election debate (an election that Mr. Orbán lost to the Hungarian Socialist Party – Alliance of Free Democrats coalition), Mr. Orbán has avoided […]

by · February 13, 2018 · Politics
Mr. Tiborcz pours Mr. Orbán some pálinka.

How the European Union enriched the Orbán family

Close observers of Hungarian politics are not surprised to learn that Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, a vociferous critic of Brussels at home, uses the European Union as a “cash register.” Any Hungarian entrepreneur would also know that winning major EU-funded contracts is a privilege reserved for a small circle of oligarchs close to the ruling Fidesz party’s inner circle and, it […]

by · February 12, 2018 · Politics