business
March 12, 2010, 09:49 CET
NGO compares energy agendas in campaign
Energy issues do not feature high in the Hungarian election campaign, a staff member of Energia Klub, an NGO, said on Thursday. Denes Fellegi has examined the campaign platforms of all parties who won at least two percent of the... [read complete entry]
March 08, 2010, 10:30 CET
Socialist party suspends membership of Budapest official suspected of graft
Hungary's governing Socialist party has suspended the party membership of Miklos Hagyo, a former representative in the Budapest municipal council who is suspected of taking kick-backs. The politician, who was until recently the second highest-ranking member of the municipal body,... [read complete entry]
March 05, 2010, 10:15 CET
Parties spent Ft 400 million on election campaigns so far
Hungary's parties campaigning for the two rounds of the April general election have so far spent a combined 400 million forints (EUR 1.4 m), anti-corruption NGOs said on Thursday. Representatives of Freedom House, Transparency International and the Karoly Eotvos Political... [read complete entry]
March 05, 2010, 10:14 CET
Ruling Socialists initiate debate with opposition next week
Ministers of the ruling Socialists invite experts of the main opposition Fidesz party for three policy debates next week, the Socialist prime minister candidate confirmed MTI's information on Thursday. The first debate on next Tuesday would be held on social... [read complete entry]
March 03, 2010, 09:34 CET
Visegrád Four FMs discuss EU Eastern Partnership in Budapest
Foreign ministers of the Visegrad Four countries - Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia - met in Budapest for talks on specific programmes under the European Union's Eastern Partnership on Tuesday. The EU aims to help its eastern neighbours with... [read complete entry]
February 25, 2010, 11:50 CET
Countries step up cooperation, sign joint declaration at Budapest energy summit
Participants of an energy summit held in Budapest on Wednesday signed a joint declaration on stepping up cooperation and making energy security a priority. Hungary's Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said the signing of a joint declaration was a milestone in... [read complete entry]
February 24, 2010, 09:43 CET
PM Bajnai holds talks with special US envoy on energy issues
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai met U.S. Ambassador Richard L. Morningstar, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's special envoy, in Budapest on Tuesday evening for talks on energy supply. The ambassador, who helps realise the US energy policy objectives in the... [read complete entry]
February 24, 2010, 09:38 CET
Former central bank president ready to accept post in Fidesz gov't
Former central bank president Zsigmond Jarai, finance minister of Viktor Orban's government, said on Tuesday that he would be prepared to take a post in a Fidesz-led government. "Viktor Orban has made it clear that I should work and I... [read complete entry]
February 22, 2010, 10:14 CET
Socialist PM candidate opens campaign promising to renew nation
The Socialist party opened its election campaign on Saturday with its prime-minister candidate promising to modernise the nation and at the same time providing a political home for voters disillusioned by neo-liberalist economic dogma but who feel close to left-wing... [read complete entry]
February 18, 2010, 09:54 CET
More details of Socialist platform revealed
A revised tax regime, motorway development and Roma integration are among the ideas in a 60-page policy platform to be presented by prime ministerial candidate Attila Mesterházy at the Socialists opening campaign rally on Saturday. The document speaks of further... [read complete entry]
February 17, 2010, 10:29 CET
Socialist PM candidate Mesterházy to outline manifesto
Attila Mesterhazy, the Socialist party's prime-minister candidate, will talk through the main points of his political programme at the weekend. Sources close to the party told MTI that highlighted policies will include lengthening the moratorium on the purchase of farmland... [read complete entry]
February 16, 2010, 09:32 CET
Socialists, Fidesz on IMF statements
Hungary's governing Socialists welcomed an IMF-EU delegation's remarks on Monday on the country's finances while main opposition Fidesz said it is clear the economic crisis had been deepened by the current government. Lajos Szabo, a Socialist member of parliament's budget... [read complete entry]
February 16, 2010, 09:23 CET
MSZP: All your pensioners are belong to us
How's this for a campaign ad (from subway handout Metropol) that is desperate, condescending and creepy all at the same time? For the Hungarian-challenged, it basically says that pensioners have no choice but to vote for the Socialists, because... [read complete entry]
February 15, 2010, 10:35 CET
Budapest mayor not to resign over BKV scandal
Mayor of Budapest Gabor Demszky said on Sunday he would not resign over the scandals surrounding Budapest transport company BKV. "I will take political responsibility but will not please my opponents by stepping down," Demszky told an evening programme of... [read complete entry]
February 15, 2010, 10:18 CET
Socialists propose affordable broadband for all Hungarians
The governing Socialist Party's Innovation and Informatics Committee has proposed that affordable broadband internet should made available to all Hungarian citizens, the chairman said at a press conference on Saturday. Ferenc Baja said that by the end of the next... [read complete entry]
February 12, 2010, 09:36 CET
Fidesz calls on Budapest mayor to resign over transport company scandal
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz on Thursday said Budapest Mayor Gabor Demszky should resign over scandals at Budapest transport company BKV. Istvan Gyorgy, head of the municipal committee investigating fraud allegations at BKV, insisted that large companies owned by the local... [read complete entry]
February 11, 2010, 10:00 CET
Next gov't to be constrained by economy, head of Orbán's office says
Hungary's next government will have to operate within the confines of the actual situation of the economy, Peter Szijjarto, who heads the office of Fidesz leader Viktor Orban, told MTI in an interview. Szijjarto said, however, that a Fidesz government's... [read complete entry]
February 11, 2010, 09:54 CET
FM rejects allegations of new austerity measures
Hungary's Finance Minister Peter Oszko categorically denied allegations by the online version of the daily Magyar Nemzet on Wednesday that austerity measures are necessary for keeping this year's budget deficit target. The paper said that a delegation of the International... [read complete entry]
February 10, 2010, 09:49 CET
US ambassador addresses parliamentary committee on Nabucco
The newly appointed US ambassador to Hungary addressed a parliamentary foreign affairs committee session on Tuesday, discussing Hungary's role in the Nabucco gas pipeline project as well as the current foreign affairs agenda. The construction of the planned Nabucco gas... [read complete entry]
February 10, 2010, 09:47 CET
Hungarian NGOs signal support for draft law on climate change
Over 430 NGOs have signed a statement in support of a bill on climate protection drafted by the National Council of Sustainable Development (NFFT). A copy of the document was presented to leading politicians for environmental issues in front of... [read complete entry]
February 08, 2010, 10:15 CET
Ex-PM Gyurcsány meets Netanjahu, Blair, IMF chief in Israel
Hungary's former Socialist prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsany held a 45-minute consultation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanjahu in Israel on Thursday, a senior adviser to the Prime Minister's Office told the commercial channel ATV. Gyurcsany informed Netanjahu about Hungary's domestic... [read complete entry]
February 05, 2010, 12:06 CET
US Ambassador compares Orbán to former President Clinton
US ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis says Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán reminds her of former US President Bill Clinton in an interview in the latest HVG. Clinton was also full of passion for people and took over governing with a high... [read complete entry]
February 03, 2010, 09:37 CET
All MPs hand in assets statements on time
All of Hungary's MPs handed in their assets statement by the 8 p.m. deadline on Monday. Socialist Party chairwoman Ildikó Lendvai has a 104m² flat in downtown Budapest and savings of $1,600. She earns a monthly salary of nearly Ft... [read complete entry]
February 03, 2010, 09:20 CET
Socialists say new US ambassador aims to promote investment in Hungary
The ruling Socialist Party trusts that new ambassador to Hungary of United States will further enhance business ties and promote American investment in the country, Attila Mesterhazy, the party's prime minister candidate said on Tuesday, after talks with Eleni Tsakopoulos... [read complete entry]
February 02, 2010, 09:36 CET
MDF calls for "price tag" on campaign promises
Hungary's small conservative Democratic Forum has called on the Fiscal Council to put a price tag on parties' election promises, the party's deputy leader Karoly Herenyi told the press on Monday. MDF advocates transparency in the campaign and suggests that... [read complete entry]
January 28, 2010, 09:52 CET
Analysts consider campaign value of axed property tax
Political analysts polled on Wednesday told MTI that the constitutional court's decision to scrap a part of the new property tax hurt the ruling Socialist Party, but could also have some negative implications for the rival opposition Fidesz. The ruling... [read complete entry]
January 27, 2010, 09:46 CET
Hungary political parties criticised for lack of financial transparency
Hungary's party financing laws have for long failed to provide the transparency needed for a level playing field. Just a few months before the spring elections the country's Supreme Court raised the possibility that some parties which do not receive... [read complete entry]
January 27, 2010, 09:43 CET
Transparency International to track campaign spending
Transparency International, Freedom House and the Károly Eötvös Research Institute will publish their estimates of political parties' expenses during the election campaign. Noémi Alexa, head of Transparency's Hungarian office, said the NGOs want to demonstrate that the current law cannot... [read complete entry]
January 25, 2010, 09:45 CET
Bokros outlines Democratic Forum election platform
The election platform of the Democratic Forum will be built on a more proportionate, just and broader based tax system and on increasing the employment rate, Forum candidate for prime minister Lajos Bokros announced on Sunday. A radical and social... [read complete entry]
January 15, 2010, 10:33 CET
Fidesz doubts gov't can meet 2010 budget deficit target
The Hungarian government will not be able to meet its 2010 budget deficit target, a main opposition Fidesz official said on Thursday. Laszlo Domokos, who is deputy head of parliament's budget committee, said the government will rake up three-quarters of... [read complete entry]
January 12, 2010, 04:07 CET
Is Banjai unwittingly setting up Fidesz for a euro-fuelled re-election in 2014?
On Sunday Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai stressed that Hungary could beat the remaining central European countries already not in the eurozone into the club, provided Fidesz doesn't blow it. My guess is that Bajnai was not really playing politics in... [read complete entry]
January 11, 2010, 12:50 CET
Fidesz operative preditcs "short, cheap" campaign focusing on corruption
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz plans to run a short and cheap campaign, the party's campaign chief Gabor Kubatov told MTI on Monday. Fidesz, which is widely expected to win a landslide in the April election, wants a short, cheap and... [read complete entry]
January 11, 2010, 11:24 CET
Hungary ratifies treaty ensuring pubic access to official documents
Hungary was the second country after Norway to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Access to Official Documents, the Council of Europe said in a statement on Saturday. Twelve European countries, including Belgium, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Hungary, Lithuania, Macedonia,... [read complete entry]
January 07, 2010, 10:48 CET
MSZP candidate for PM pushes government to extend social spending
Prime Minister candidate of the governing Socialist Party Attila Mesterhazy said on Wednesday that he had requested Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai to extend Hungary's crisis management fund when it expires at the end of January. Bajnai has promised to extend... [read complete entry]
January 05, 2010, 03:36 CET
US-Hungarian oil-for-troops-and-terrorists deal best unfounded conspiracy theory of 2009
While we made a strategic decision not to bother with the traditional retrospective pieces looking back at 2009, we feel it's only necessary to tip our hats to what must be the best unsubstantiated political conspiracy theory reported as... [read complete entry]
January 04, 2010, 09:48 CET
President returns anti-graft authority law to parliament
Hungary's President Laszlo Solyom has returned a law on setting up an anti-graft authority to parliament for review, the president's office told MTI on Wednesday. The law envisages setting up a national anti-corruption office, an autonomous body within state administration... [read complete entry]
December 30, 2009, 10:31 CET
Ex-FM defends focus on ethnic Hungarians abroad, domestic businesses
Hungary's foreign policy should focus on stronger European integration and well-functioning Central European cooperation, former Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi, of the main opposition Fidesz party, told daily Nepszabadsag on Wednesday. Ethnic Hungarians living beyond the borders must always remain a... [read complete entry]
December 23, 2009, 09:42 CET
Socialist leader calls 2009 year of economic housecleaning
Hungarian Socialist Party leader Ildiko Lendvai has called 2009 a year of successful house-cleaning in the economy, and 2010 a year of responsible decision. The government has managed "to remove all skeletons from the cupboard", and compiled a transparent budget... [read complete entry]
December 18, 2009, 11:39 CET
Bokros: Don't bother voting for me or my party, honestly
As expected, last weekend the struggling Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) nominated Lajos Bokros as its candidate for prime minister in the next general elections. Apparently the party figures that having the famously/infamously strict former finance minister as its public face... [read complete entry]
December 16, 2009, 09:29 CET
Socialists, opposition squabble over new private pension fund law
The recently passed law on private pensions has two main goals: to raise the security of old people's savings and to supplement regulation of pension allowance payments which was lacking until now, Socialist MP Tibor Kekesi told MTI on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
December 15, 2009, 06:49 CET
Much like the government, former civil servants had no viable business plan
A court has declared Admiral Tours Hungary Utazásszervező Kft insolvent, and began the liquidation process, hvg.hu reports. Admiral Tours – the joint venture of former interior minister Sándor Pintér, the head of his cabinet László Valenta as well as... [read complete entry]
December 15, 2009, 09:53 CET
Parliament passes law setting up anti-graft office
Hungary's parliament on Monday passed the government's bill to set up a national anti-corruption office. The bill was supported by 179 deputies, while 163 voted against and four abstained. The new office, focusing primarily on public procurement and public interest... [read complete entry]
December 14, 2009, 11:01 CET
Parliament to vote on anti-graft package Monday
Hungary's Parliament will vote on the government's package of anti-corruption laws on Monday, government spokesman Domokos Szollar told MTI on Sunday. The package contains amendments seeking to increase the transparency of political campaigns, ensure tracking the disbursement of public funds... [read complete entry]
December 14, 2009, 10:17 CET
Bokros voted MDF nominee for PM
The Democratic Forum national council elected Horn-era finance minister Lajos Bokros as its candidate for prime minister with an over 90% majority on Saturday, the party announced. The Forum explained in a statement that 61 delegates had voted in favour... [read complete entry]
December 10, 2009, 09:44 CET
Socialists proposes re-election of State Audit Office president
Hungary's governing Socialists propose that parliament should decide next Monday about the appointment of the State Audit Office's (ASZ) president and two deputies, the party's deputy parliamentary group leader said on Wednesday. The Socialists will propose at the nomination committee's... [read complete entry]
December 07, 2009, 01:27 CET
Memo to President Sólyom: What those foreign embassies said about corruption in Hungary wasn't offensive, at least compared to what I'm about to say about you
Unlike many people, I don't find the largely ceremonial state presidencies in countries like Hungary to be inherently silly. Of course I'd rather dispense entirely with all the protocol duties that such presidents spend much of their time engaged... [read complete entry]
December 07, 2009, 10:49 CET
Sólyom calls embassies' statement on corruption in Hungary "offensive"
Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom on Saturday said nine embassies in Hungary that issued a joint statement in mid-November to call attention to the lack of transparency that they say negatively impacts Hungary's investment climate expressed their problem in an offensive... [read complete entry]
December 07, 2009, 10:28 CET
Orbán says ready to form new gov't quickly, says current budget a "fraud"
Viktor Orban, leader of the main opposition Fidesz party, wants to form the next government in a fast and efficient manner next spring, he told MTI on Friday. Orban, whose party appears in polls as the winner of next year's... [read complete entry]
December 03, 2009, 11:16 CET
Bajnai backs Obama's Afghan surge during Washington visit
An increase of Hungarian forces in Afghanistan is now in the planning stage, the Defence Ministry said as Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai arrived in Washington for a four-day visit. He declared that Hungary supports President Barack Obama's strategy in Afghanistanafter... [read complete entry]
December 03, 2009, 11:15 CET
Fidesz establishes ties with Chinese Communists as Orbán tours Beijing
Fidesz established official links with the Chinese Communist Party yesterday, China's state news agency reported after party chairman Viktor Orbán met Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in Beijing. "In order to create jobs we have to find markets for our... [read complete entry]
December 02, 2009, 09:27 CET
Bajnai leaves for Washington for four-day visit
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai will meet US Vice-President Joe Biden during the four-day working visit starting in Washington, DC, on Wednesday. Bajnai's entourage will include Defence Minister Imre Szekeres, liberal Free Democrat parliamentary leader Janos Koka and a Bajnai... [read complete entry]
December 01, 2009, 10:37 CET
Parliamentary committee to investigate radio frequency scandal
Parliament's constitutional and justice committee on Monday unanimously approved a proposal to set up a body to examine a decision to award tenders for radio frequencies previously used by two pop radio stations. The decision made by Hungary's top media... [read complete entry]
December 01, 2009, 09:21 CET
Hungarian Parliament passes 2010 budget
MPs approved next year's budget in Parliament yesterday, around a month earlier than usual. Only one Socialist MP, Székesfehérvár mayor Tihamér Warvasovszky, voted against it, as did four Free Democrat MPs. Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai visited the Socialist caucus before... [read complete entry]
November 30, 2009, 11:40 CET
"Hungary a frontrunner in fiscal stability," Bajnai tells Newsweek
Hungary has become a frontrunner in terms of fiscal stability, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said in an interview published by the online edition of Newsweek on Friday. Asked about the impact of the economic crisis in Hungary, he said, "Hungarians... [read complete entry]
November 27, 2009, 10:21 CET
PM says Hungary needs more predictable foreign policy
Hungary should follow a more predictable, future-oriented and pro-active foreign policy in order to secure the country's interests, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai told a conference in Budapest on Thursday. Hungary's foreign policy is built on the three pillars of the... [read complete entry]
November 25, 2009, 09:13 CET
Gov't backs launch of corruption survey by State Audit Office
The Hungarian government welcomes that the State Audit Office (ASZ) will launch a programme to survey corruption risks, government spokesman Domokos Szollar told MTI on Tuesday. ASZ General Secretary Pal Csapodi announced earlier on Tuesday that the office will start... [read complete entry]
November 24, 2009, 09:10 CET
PM calls for rethink of social benefits system, rues democratic "disintegration"
Hungary's social welfare system needs to be rethought, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai told a gathering arranged by the Hungarian Democratic Charta on Monday. Bajnai added that "anyone who is physically able should observe the basic norms of social co-existence, profit... [read complete entry]
November 24, 2009, 08:23 CET
PM says embassy open letter on corruption not directed at government
Nine embassies in Budapest who last week wrote an open letter calling attention to a lack of transparency they said negatively affected Hungary's investment environment were critical not of the government, but of institutions independent of the government, parties, local... [read complete entry]
November 23, 2009, 08:38 CET
Bajnai to meet ambassadors over criticism of investment climate
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Monday will meet the nine ambassadors who expressed concern over factors that they considered having a negative impact on Hungary's investment climate, government spokesman Domokos Szollar told MTI on Sunday. Issuing a joint statement... [read complete entry]
November 20, 2009, 10:43 CET
Political parties respond to embassies' joint statement on corruption
Hungary's governing Socialists said on Thursday that special attention must be paid to a joint statement by nine embassies criticising the lack of transparency in Hungary's investment environment, while main opposition Fidesz said it represented harsh criticism of nearly eight... [read complete entry]
November 19, 2009, 09:22 CET
Embassies make joint call for more transparency in Hungarian public life
The embassies of nine countries issued a joint statement Wednesday expressing concern over "non-transparent behaviour" in Hungarian public life. The joint statement from representatives of the US, Belgium, France, Germany, Great Britain, Japan, the Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland noted that... [read complete entry]
November 19, 2009, 08:15 CET
Fresh controversy over payments to jailed Budapest mayor
Opposition party Fidesz has complained that Socialist mayor of District VII György Hunvald, who has been in preliminary arrest since February, is still receiving his salary, writes Népszabadság. András Cser-Palkovics, deputy spokesman for the party said it did not make... [read complete entry]
November 18, 2009, 09:49 CET
Hungary scores poorly on new international corruption ranking
Hungary scored 5.1 points on Transparency International's 1- to 10-point Corruption Perceptions Index for 2009, TI Hungary managing director Noemi Alexa said on Tuesday. Hungary's score put it at 46th place in the global ranking, up one position from a... [read complete entry]
November 18, 2009, 09:36 CET
Another survey finds Hungarians grim about democratic transition
Two out of three Hungarians believe that the transition to democracy since 1989 has been a failure, according to the results of a survey of the four Visegrad countries by PASOS (Policy Association for an Open Society), presented on Tuesday.... [read complete entry]
November 17, 2009, 12:17 CET
Orbán's energy independence pledge just a bunch of hot air
Over on realdeal.hu you can read about Fidesz big Viktor Orbán's latest grand pledge: To make Hungary energy independent within 20 years. Unfortunately, since Hungary doesn't produce much gas or oil of its own, freeing the country from dependence on... [read complete entry]
November 16, 2009, 08:39 CET
Liberals deeply divided over 2010 budget
The National Council of the opposition liberal Free Democrats (SZDSZ) does not support next year's state budget and recommends that the party's parliamentary group should also reject it, party chairman Attila Retkes told reporters after the council's Saturday session. The... [read complete entry]
November 12, 2009, 09:48 CET
Fidesz opposes nomination of Andor as Hungary's EC commissioner
Fidesz MEPs will not support the nomination of László Andor to the EU Commission, the group announced on Wednesday. Andor has no experience in public administration, politics or EU matters, and he is unknown both in Hungary and the EU,... [read complete entry]
November 12, 2009, 09:15 CET
Budapest to host "Danube summit" in February 2010
Hungary will organise a summit on the Danube strategy in February 2010, Foreign Minister Peter Balazs announced after a Wednesday meeting of a working group making preparations for Hungary's EU presidency in 2011. The Danube strategy is a plan for... [read complete entry]
November 11, 2009, 09:45 CET
Retkes proposes Bokros as joint MSZP-SZDSZ-MDF candidate for PM
Former finance minister Lajos Bokros should run as the joint candidate for prime minister of the Socialists, the Free Democrats and the Democratic Forum at next year's parliamentary elections, Free Democrat chairman Attila Retkes suggested. In an interview published on... [read complete entry]
November 11, 2009, 09:32 CET
Orbán promises big tax cuts, three-year budget if Fidesz returned to power
Viktor Orban, leader of conservative opposition Fidesz, promised big tax cuts and a three-year budget in a television interview late on Tuesday. Orban told commercial ATV that he would not now pin a precise figure to the tax cut in... [read complete entry]
November 09, 2009, 07:23 CET
Bajnai says gov't working to explain need for austerity despite opposition
It is the government's task to make as many people as possible understand that there is a serious reason for harsh austerity measures, without which there would be a much steeper downturn, more want and a longer period of going... [read complete entry]
November 09, 2009, 07:22 CET
Pokorni reaffirms Fidesz's plans for post-election investigations
The famous scandals of recent years must be further investigated and an attempt must be made to call to account those responsible for damages, deputy leader of the main opposition Fidesz party Zoltan Pokorni told MTI on Saturday. "Perhaps the... [read complete entry]
November 06, 2009, 01:16 CET
The Politics.hu Interview: Bálint Molnár, Freedom House Europe
Yesterday's news of the collapse of cross-party talks over campaign finance reform again put the spotlight on the murky nexus between money and elections in Hungary. The negotiations, which were taking place in advance of next year's general elections, were... [read complete entry]
November 06, 2009, 11:03 CET
Former EBRD director Andor named Hungary's nominee for EU Commission
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Thursday designated László Andor, a member of the board of directors of the EBRD, to the EU Commission, saying there can be no doubt about the candidate's ability and integrity. At a joint press briefing... [read complete entry]
November 05, 2009, 10:05 CET
SZDSZ head says party to vote against budget bill
The leader of Hungary's liberal Free Democrats insisted on Wednesday that his party would refuse to support the government's 2010 budget bill. In a vote on Tuesday, MPs approved the main figures of the bill which includes a budget deficit... [read complete entry]
November 04, 2009, 01:01 CET
Squabbling parties kick off new corruption cooperation deal with joint radio appearance
If you've ever gotten the feeling that all the hysterical finger-pointing by members of Hungary's leading political parties over allegations of corruption is just a big pantomime aimed at keeping the populace distracted while they carve up the country... [read complete entry]
November 04, 2009, 09:54 CET
Int'l survey shows weak support in Hungary for democracy, free markets
Hungary's support for democracy and capitalism has diminished considerably over the past 18 years, according to a survey by the US-based Pew Global Attitudes Project published in Tuesday's issue of Wall Street Journal Europe. The survey of nine former Eastern... [read complete entry]
November 04, 2009, 09:51 CET
Poll shows widespread concern about corruption among Hungarians
Over four fifths of Hungarians say corruption is a serious and unresolved social problem and demand severer punishments for offenders as well as more public-awareness campaigns, according to a survey by Szazadveg, a think-tank, published on Tuesday. The response broadly... [read complete entry]
November 04, 2009, 09:44 CET
Study finds graft rampant in Hungarian public procurements deals
Graft affects up to three quarters of Hungarian public procurements and bumps up the cost of each by 25 percent, head of GKI, a think-tank, told a news conference on Tuesday. Andras Vertes said there was general agreement that the... [read complete entry]
November 02, 2009, 10:47 CET
Justice minister calls for more transparent public procurement
An anti-graft bill submitted earlier this week is expected to ensure that public procurement procedures are clear and fair while dishing out appropriate penalties for transgressors, Justice Minister Tibor Draskovics told journalists at the weekend. Anyone who uses underhand means... [read complete entry]
October 27, 2009, 09:53 CET
MP stages "giveaway" protest against alleged woes of local manufacturers
Fidesz MP Ildikó Gáll Pelcz handed out Szerencsi Retro chocolate bars to her fellow MPs to demonstrate that Hungarian SMEs are disadvantaged in relation to multinational firms before regular House business on Monday. Pelcz opined that Hungary's products rarely make... [read complete entry]
October 22, 2009, 09:31 CET
Socialists say early passage of campaign finance bill a priority
The Socialist Party would like Parliament to pass a bill on campaign funding as soon as possible, caucus director József Tóbiás told Népszabadság on Wednesday. He said Socialist officials will attend talks initiated by Freedom House and Transparency International Hungary... [read complete entry]
October 20, 2009, 10:01 CET
Multi-party talks over municipal standoff in Budapest fail
Representatives of five parties in the Budapest municipal council failed to come to an agreement on Monday on the future framework of cooperation after the Socialist-liberal coalition split last week. The Socialists quit the coalition with the liberal Free Democrats... [read complete entry]
October 19, 2009, 09:29 CET
Bajnai marks six months as PM, lauds "quick results"
"I must admit, I had not expected such speedy progress and such quick results," Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said in a statement on Friday to mark the sixth month of his cabinet. Warning that the financial crisis is not yet... [read complete entry]
October 16, 2009, 09:50 CET
Gyurcsány, other leading Socialists face questioning in Zuschlag fraud case
A court has ordered the questioning of former prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, Socialist caucus leader Attila Mesterházy, former secret services minister György Szilvásy and three lesser-known politicians as suspects in the Zuschlag fraud case. The Bács county prosecutor has pressed... [read complete entry]
October 15, 2009, 11:15 CET
Socialists call for "correction" rather than "system change"
The ruling Socialist Party (MSZP) will devise a programme for the years to follow economic recovery and calls for correcting the prevailing models rather than changing the system, party leader Ildiko Lendvai told reporters in Budapest on Wednesday, outlining her... [read complete entry]
October 14, 2009, 09:59 CET
Budapest Socialists sever coalition with Liberals over business deals
The Socialist Party decided on Tuesday to dissolve the coalition on Budapest city council with the Free Democrats and recall its deputy mayors, after the liberals voted against a Socialist proposal to publish online all contracts worth over Ft 5... [read complete entry]
October 12, 2009, 09:19 CET
Municipalities stage protest in Budapest against 2010 budget
Thousands of people gathered on Kossuth tér outside Parliament Saturday morning to protest against cuts in state funding for local governments. Debrecen mayor and Fidesz MP Lajos Kósa, the main speaker, declared “Hungary has become an Absurdistan, local governments have... [read complete entry]
October 08, 2009, 11:32 CET
Bajnai says Socialists to eventually benefit from unpopular economic measures
Bajnai says Socialists to eventually benefit from unpopular economic measures In the short term the government's anti-crisis measures may make the Socialist Party unpopular, but they will increase the party's credibility, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said in Budapest on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]
October 08, 2009, 10:11 CET
Accusations fly in Parliamentary budget debate
Socialist MP Mónika Lamperth accused senior opposition party Fidesz of lying to voters during the second day of debate on the 2010 budget bill in Parliament yesterday. "The Socialists are governing responsibly while Fidesz uses the budget debate as an... [read complete entry]