Gyurcsány’s call for a united leftist party rejected

A conservative commentator contends that former PM Gyurcsány’s proposal to unite the Left within a single party cannot be taken seriously.

In an essay in Népszabadság, former PM Ferenc Gyurcsány suggested that in order to defeat Fidesz, the left-wing parties should create a united Democratic Party along liberal lines, or at least a joint leadership of a coalition of semi-autonomous left-wing parties. The proposal has been dismissed by both the MSZP and Together 2014.

In Magyar Nemzet, Miklós Ugró wonders if the left-wing parties are looking for new headquarters in order to prepare their future closer alliance as suggested by Ferenc Gyurcsány. Magyar Nemzet reported that the MSZP and Gyurcsány’s Democratic Coalition are all looking for new, more affordable office buildings, while Together 2014 moved six months ago to a cheaper HQ. Although on programme or strategy matters the left-wing parties have little in common, Gyurcsány can nonetheless hope that their shared hatred towards PM Orbán could be enough to create a closer alliance, Ugró writes. The pro-government columnist finds it paradoxical that such a call for unity should come from Gyurcsány, whom he characterises as the main person responsible for the Left’s crisis and polarization. The Left should first gain strength, and start discussing the form of their cooperation only after that, Ugró believes. But even if Gyurcsány’s suggestion materialized, a united Left would not be any more attractive for voters than the individual parties from which it would be composed, he suggests.

Tags: Democratic Coalition, Fidesz, Gyurcsány, MSZP, Orbán, Together 2014