"Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány will meet with Free Democrat MPs this morning in an attempt to persuade them to support the government’s restructuring plans ahead of this afternoon’s parliamentary vote on the issue.The new cabinet is to have two new ministerial posts, six new state secretaries, and a reassignment of tasks between ministries. Six state secretarial posts have been abolished.
The Free Democrats have already said they will not be a partner in creating a more expensive government, Népszabadság reports. However, Magyar Hírlap says most Free Democrats will only adopt a final position after hearing Gyurcsány’s views.
The right-wing opposition will certainly not endorse the amendment, which can be approved with a 50% majority.
There is a growing chance that the Gyurcsány government could fall when Parliament puts the 2009 budget to a vote later this year, as Free Democrat presidential hopeful Gábor Fodor indicated over the weekend that his party will not vote for the budget.
Free Democrat Gábor Horn, former coalition liaison state secretary, was more reserved, saying that “if the Socialist cabinet submits a tax reform concept and a budget bill acceptable to the Free Democrats, they can be passed even in opposition. True, I see little chance of that happening. But the Free Democrat bodies will decide in good time.”
Source: Hungary Around the Clock.
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13.05.2008