First days in the life of Gyurcsány’s new party

A columnist in Népszabadság believes that the split in the Socialist Party will not take the country forward. A publicist in the pro-government Magyar Hírlap suggests former PM Ferenc Gyurcsány received a major blow from his former party chairman as he set up his new party.

Now that former party chairman and ex prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány has left the Socialist Party and set up a new one called Democratic Coalition, commentators ponder whether the new setup will strengthen the opposition or lead to its fragmentation.

The Hungarian left now has more leaders than at any time in the past 70 years –  Péter Uj comments ironically in Népszabadság. The columnist (who recently left his post as editor of Index, one of the biggest news websites in Hungary) finds it disheartening that while just two weeks ago, it was two trade unionists who were considered a potential alternative to the Fidesz government, some now dream of a coalition led by former PM Ferenc Gyurcsány.

Uj points out that the opposing sides are unable to conduct a reasonable dialogue and are engaged in a senseless propaganda war against one another. Referring to last Sunday’s anti-government demonstration, held under the slogan “We don’t like this system’”, he remarks that “we may not like this system, but we are part and parcel of it.”

In Magyar Hírlap, Péter Forró suggests that political scientists are wrong to assume that the leader of the Democratic Coalition, Ferenc Gyurcsány won his battle with the Socialist Party.  Floor (and party) leader Attila Mesterházy clearly struck a blow with his letter to the Speaker of Parliament, in which he wrote that the former PM and his 9 followers had left his parliamentary group.

According to the standing orders, in case of exit or expulsion, MPs cannot join another group for at least 6 months. Mr Gyurcsány and his followers argue that their case is a split and therefore the ten of them are entitled to form a new parliamentary group.

„The decision to be taken by Speaker László Kövér might clearly affect the fate of the Democratic Coalition”, as a new fraction would mean money and positions in  parliamentary committees, Forró remarks, adding that the limbo Gyurcsány’s people are to be condemned in Parliament represents a setback from which it may take the DC some time to recover.

Tags: Democratic Coalition, Gyurcsány, MSZP