1 October 2012
What a week it has been for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as the main opposition party, the Socialists, descended into farce.
First up was former Socialist Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy, the same tainted Prime Minister who was unmasked as a former D-209 security officer working for the Soviet Union and who was forced to resign. In Medgyessy’s opinion, the Socialist Party cannot beat Fidesz at the next election and their leader, Attilla Mesterházy, is a loser. It would be better, in his opinion, to support former prime minister Gordon Bajnai as the leading candidate of the left. Not quite the ringing endorsement for the Socialists that one would wish from a member of the Socialist Party nobility.
Next up came another former Socialist Prime Minister – and arguably the most toxic politician in Hungary – Ferenc Gyurcsány. Like Medgessy, Gyurcsány is equally tainted by scandal and was also forced from office. His new party, the Democratic Coalition, would also prefer Bajnai as the leading left contender to run against Viktor Orbán at the next election. How could this not be seen as another slap in the face for Mesterházy and a dismal assessment of his leadership qualities?
Not to be outdone by the fantasy politics of the two tainted prime ministers, the Socialist leader indulged in some of his own fantasy. In a public speech, Mesterházy claimed that the Socialist Party would wipe out Fidesz and secure a majority at the next elections in 2014.
Of course during this bout of shadow boxing, Bajnai, as usual, refused to come out his corner. He has yet to say if he will try and stand for office – something of course he hasn’t done before. However, one can only wonder at what Bajnai makes of the endorsements of Medgyessy and Gyurcsány. Would the recommendations of two such disgraced former Socialist prime ministers make him any more credible? No, I don’t think so and probably neither does Bajnai.
Indeed, as this incredible week ended, it seems that even Bajnai might be forced to defend his previous position in the Socialist-backed technocratic government. Serious questions are now being asked about the IMF loan negotiated by the previous administration. If that were not serious enough, it has now been revealed that a former State Secretary and latterly Senior Adviser to the Head of the Central Bank was simultanuesly advising András Simor and Attila Mesterházy. I wonder if the EU will take an interest in this development, given their concern about the independence of the Hungarian Central Bank? Maybe Prime Minister Orbán has a case after all?
Yes indeed, Viktor Orbán must still be laughing. In the space of a week, two disgraced former prime ministers have dismissed the Socialists as a credible force under its current leadership. Both endorse another tainted former prime minister who himself might be under intense scrutiny for misleading the Hungarian public about the background and negotiations of an IMF loan. Then we have the current Socialist Party leader dismissing the three wise men and proclaiming that he is the chosen one.
You couldn’t make this up!