Letters to Hungary
3 september 2013
In recent days, the Socialists and the recently manufactured party of former Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai have cobbled together an electoral pact of sorts. Agreement has been reached on the division of seats available to each for contesting in the next election and agreement on mutual support, where appropriate.
22 December 2011
The recent decision by a second credit rating agency to downgrade Hungary’s credit rating to junk has been hailed by the Hungarian Socialists and LMP as a vindication of their criticism of the Orban administration. In their view, the current Hungarian government is akin to a ‘fascist dictatorship’ which has snuffed out democracy in Hungary and the more that the international community can do to reverse Fidesz policy the better. Into this equation, the opposition lump the IMF negotiations and the frequent criticisms of the European Commission and Parliament.
3 October 2011
The Hungarian Socialist Party is dying. The election defeat of 2010 – the political equivalent of a massive heart attack – consigned the party to the political wilderness. However, events since then have reinforced the image of a party slowly choking to death on its internal in-fighting and the political machinations of former Prime Minister, Ferenc Gyurcsány.