Former Hungarian PM Gyurcsány Quits Socialists, Forms New Party

Speaking one year after he founded the Democratic Coalition, Gyurcsány said they gave the Socialist Party a chance last year to become a better party, but the party has failed to renew itself.

Saying the new party will advocate “freedom and solidarity against the Orbán regime,” Gyurcsány said those state leaders appointed on the basis of “the one-party constitutional system,” including new Constitutional Court judges, the head of the State Audit Office and the prosecutor general, are illegitimate, as they serve “power-hungry Viktor Orbán”.

As new parties must be registered by the prosecutor general, the new party is formally based on the foundations of the already existing Democratic Party.

Gyurcsány said his group does not trust prosecutor Péter Polt, and will therefore “give him the finger” by forming the new party from an existing party. The name will later be changed to the Democratic Coalition.

Molnár informed House Speaker László Kövér of the formation of the Democratic Coalition parliamentary group. He told reporters that the move is in line with House rules, and the ten need not sit as independent MPs for six months, as they did not quit nor were they expelled from the Socialist caucus. They therefore expect to address Parliament before regular business on Monday.

The eight other MPS are József Baracskai, Ádám Ficsor, István Kolber, Lajos Oláh, Erika Szűcs, Ágnes Vadai, László Varju and Iván Vitányi."

Source: Hungary Around the Clock

This news item is one of many published daily by HATC, a premier subscription news service which distributes English-language info about Hungary via email or fax. For a free trial of HATC follow this link and click on 'Free Trial Subscription'.