Former Jobbik leader doubts that Gyöngyösi can resuscitate party
July 8th, 2022The founder of the originally radical right-wing party finds it highly improbable that his fourth successor at the helm of Jobbik can turn his battered organisation into a successful moderate conservative political force.
On Index, founding Jobbik chairman Gábor Vona, now a political analyst sees several reasons why the new party leader, Márton Gyöngyösi, stands little chance of transforming Jobbik into a mainstream conservative party. First of all, he will not give up his post as a Member of the European Parliament, which Vona suggests will make it impossible for him to tour the country incessantly to galvanise remaining supporters and recruit new ones. Péter Jakab, the party’s floor leader, Vona continues, remains a rival who opposes the moderate shift Gyöngyösi represents. Vona acknowledges that Gyöngyösi has always been a moderate but warns that he is much less popular among the rank and file than his predecessor and will therefore have a hard time redirecting the membership towards classical conservative policies.