european parliament
March 01, 2010, 10:35 CET
Jobbik presents candidate for justice minister
Hungarian radical nationalist party Jobbik on Friday introduced a candidate for justice and local government minister, another member of Jobbik's shadow government, which is in the making. The party's leader Gabor Vona, who is also PM candidate, earlier said there... [read complete entry]
February 05, 2010, 10:13 CET
EP committee approves Hungary's commissioner-designate
Laszlo Andor, Hungary's European Union Commissioner-designate "gave an adequate impression of his aptitude to be a member of the College of Commissioners" before the European Parliament's Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, according to a letter by the committee's coordinators... [read complete entry]
December 18, 2009, 10:05 CET
MSZP to plead with European Socialists over Slovak language law
Hungary's ruling Socialist party will ask the European Socialist Party's president to launch an investigation of Slovakia's latest steps in connection with its controversial state language law, the party's PM candidate Attila Mesterhazy told MTI on Thursday. Mesterhazy said that... [read complete entry]
December 02, 2009, 08:49 CET
Socialist MEP introduces "popó" into European Parliament, English language
English features a few loan words from Hungarian, and soon there may be one more. Above is the video of Socialist MEP Edit Herczog involved in a heated exchange with UKIP MEP Nigel Farage. While we're still uncertain of... [read complete entry]
November 26, 2009, 11:28 CET
European Parliament president begins official visit to Hungary
European Parliament's President Jerzy Buzek will start a two-day visit to Hungary on Thursday at the invitation of House Speaker Bela Katona. Buzek is scheduled to meet President Laszlo Solyom, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai, Foreign Minister Peter Balazs and leaders... [read complete entry]
November 26, 2009, 10:06 CET
Survey finds majority supporting Orbán as PM
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party leader Viktor Orban was seen as most voters' choice for prime minister, well ahead of the Socialist party's likely candidate Attila Mesterhazy, by a poll from research firm Nezopont Institute revealed on Wednesday. The poll,... [read complete entry]
November 13, 2009, 09:06 CET
Hungarian MEP proposes post of EU minority rights commissioner
Hungarian MEP Csaba Tabajdi has stressed the need for the European Commission to have a member responsible for fundamental and minority rights. "It is now up to EC President Jose Manuel Barroso to fulfill his promise and set up a... [read complete entry]
November 12, 2009, 10:13 CET
Congress of "anti-fascist" alliance calls for curbs on far-right
The Hungarian anti-fascist alliance for democracy (MEASZ) called for joint action by democratic parties to prevent the strengthening of the far right in Hungary on Wednesday. "It is in the interest of all democratic parties to join forces to make... [read complete entry]
October 21, 2009, 09:42 CET
Socialist MEPs boycott commemoration of 1956 revolt
The 53rd anniversary of Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet revolution was commemorated in the European Parliament on Tuesday. The ceremony held during the parliamentary session's break was initiated by the group of Hungarian MEPs of the European Peoples' Party and an ethnic... [read complete entry]
October 13, 2009, 11:18 CET
Ethnic Hungarians in Serbia turn to Hungary over new minorities law
Political parties and civil groups representing ethnic Hungarians in northern Serbia have turned to the Hungarian president and Hungarian MEPs with sharp criticism of a law on national minority councils recently adopted in Serbia. In their open letter, published to... [read complete entry]
September 22, 2009, 09:43 CET
Hungarian MEP gets top post at EU-US policy network
Hungarian MEP Edit Herczog has been elected chairperson of the European group of the Transatlantic Policy Network (TPN), a non-governmental organisation promoting US-EU cooperation. Herczog (Socialist) told MTI on Monday that her focus would be on cooperation in the energy... [read complete entry]
September 16, 2009, 09:56 CET
EP head's offer to mediate Hungary-Slovakia feud called historic
Hungarian MEP Csaba Tabajdi has welcomed that the new president of the European Parliament, Jerzy Buzek, on Tuesday expressed readiness to mediate in settling Hungarian-Slovak tensions. Tabajdi said the Buzek was ready to help settle the conflict that has developed... [read complete entry]
September 04, 2009, 10:37 CET
Hungarian MEPs unite to fight Slovak language law
Hungarian MEPs of all political stripes are agreed that they must do all that they can to ensure that Slovakia's language law is withdrawn, Katalin Szili, Hungary's parliamentary speaker, said on Thursday. After talks with MEPs, Szili said that representatives... [read complete entry]
August 26, 2009, 10:32 CET
Hungarian PM discusses Slovak language law with EP President
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Tuesday made a phone call to European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek to express thanks for his approach to Slovakia's controversial State Language Act, the PM's spokesperson told MTI on Tuesday. Upon his inauguration in... [read complete entry]
July 29, 2009, 09:32 CET
Hungarian Guard uniform-wearing Jobbik MEP mistaken for French handyman
Following the banning of the Hungarian Guard, Jobbik MEP Csanád Szegedi wore the guard's uniform in protest during his first appearance in the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The only problem with this, right-leaning magyarhirlap.hu reported, was that the European Parliament... [read complete entry]
July 22, 2009, 09:32 CET
Senior MDF official says parties must cooperate to block Jobbik
All democratic forces should be mobilised in order to erect a wall to obstruct radical nationalist party Jobbik, a senior official of the Democratic Forum told a news conference on Tuesday. Szabolcs Kerek-Barczy said that while a political consensus had... [read complete entry]
July 17, 2009, 09:48 CET
Leading Socialist MEP says Gárda uniforms violate EP rules
The wearing of the Magyar Gárda uniform in the European Parliament is against House rules, according to MEP Martin Schultz, the head of the legislature's Socialist bloc. Schultz is considered likely to replace newly elected Jerzy Buzek as President of... [read complete entry]
July 15, 2009, 08:22 CET
Hungarian MEP Schmitt elected vice president of European Parliament
The Hungarian MEP Pal Schmitt was voted Vice President of European Parliament on Tuesday. Schmitt was nominated by the European People's Party's group as one of five candidates for vice president. The EP has 14 Vice Presidents altogether. Schmitt has... [read complete entry]
July 15, 2009, 08:17 CET
Fidesz hails election of Poland's Buzek as EP president
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party said on Tuesday that the election of former Polish premier Jerzy Buzek as European Parliament president was an event of historic significance. "This is the first occasion for a politician from a former communist country... [read complete entry]
July 14, 2009, 04:13 CET
Jobbik MEP wears banned Hungarian Guard uniform in first EP session
One of the radical nationalist Jobbik party's new representatives in the European Parliament appeared for the first session of the body wearing the uniform of the banned paramilitary arm of his party, the Hungarian Guard, in Strasbourg on Tuesday. Csanad... [read complete entry]
July 10, 2009, 11:24 CET
Survey finds average Jobbik supporters uneducated, unemployed
Most Jobbik supporters are unemployed men who live in rural parts of eastern Hungary, according to a survey by the Publicus Institute. The poll strove to find out where Jobbik's voters had come from. The far right party fared better... [read complete entry]
July 09, 2009, 10:07 CET
European People's Party nominates Hungary's Schmitt for VP
The European People's Party's group of the European Parliament nominated Hungarian MEP Pal Schmitt as one of its five candidates for vice president of the EP, at a session on Wednesday. The new EP will vote on its 14 vice... [read complete entry]
July 02, 2009, 10:33 CET
Fidesz and Jobbik strengthen poll positions further
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz and radical nationalist Jobbik have both improved their already strong positions since the European elections, a poll by Szonda Ipsos published in Thursday's national daily Nepszabadsag showed. Since the last poll in May, Fidesz gained 6... [read complete entry]
July 02, 2009, 10:16 CET
MPs Ader and Deutsch step down to take MEP posts
Fidesz MPs János Áder and Tamás Deutsch have given up their seats in the Hungarian Parliament, effective July 13, as they will work as MEPs in the European Parliament, Fidesz wrote in a letter to Speaker Katalin Szili. The politicians... [read complete entry]
June 29, 2009, 11:35 CET
Jobbik leader says party "inevitable third force" in Hungarian politics
The leader of the radical nationalist Jobbik said on Saturday that the party had grown into an "inevitable third force" in Hungary's political arena as he greeted party supporters at a congress in Budapest. Gabor Vona said the right-left division... [read complete entry]
June 29, 2009, 07:34 CET
Jobbik mulls political options within European Parliament
Hungary's radical nationalist party Jobbik and other nationalist parties in the European Parliament (EP) do not as yet meet criteria for forming a parliamentary group but Jobbik's three representatives will stick together and might join the Euro-skeptic Independence/Democracy group, Krisztina... [read complete entry]
June 25, 2009, 09:38 CET
SZDSZ to elect new leadership on July 12 following EP wipeout
Hungary's Free Democrats will postpone a national congress to elect a new chairman and 12 new executives by one week, people close to the party told MTI on Wednesday. The liberal party's national council has decided to postpone the congress... [read complete entry]
June 22, 2009, 10:28 CET
Dávid re-elected head of MDF in disputed vote at weekend congress
Ibolya David, leader of the conservative opposition Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF), was re-elected overwhelmingly in a show of hands at the party's national meeting on Saturday, MDF Spokesperson Szabolcs Kerek-Barczy told MTI. Of the 378 eligible voters, 274 delegates participated... [read complete entry]
June 18, 2009, 10:27 CET
Fidesz MEPs snub Bokros, but say willing to work with Jobbik
Hungary's main conservative opposition Fidesz will not invite Lajos Bokros, a former Socialist-liberal finance minister who is now an MEP representing the junior conservative Democratic Forum, to its Europe-related policy strategy meetings, a senior Fidesz official told MTI on Wednesday.... [read complete entry]
June 15, 2009, 12:50 CET
Hungarian far-right announces new national and international agenda
Earlier this morning, it was reported that Jobbik would seek to revise the terms of the Treaty of Trianon within the European Parliament, among some other things not to their liking. First off would be to overturn the Benes Decrees,... [read complete entry]
June 15, 2009, 10:13 CET
Jobbik MEPs to fight for pre-Trianon borders
Hungary's radical nationalist Jobbik party plans to fight for the toppling of borders set by the 1920 Trianon treaty, newly elected MEP Csanad Szegedi said on Saturday. Jobbik considers it one of its main targets that "the Trianon borders should... [read complete entry]
June 12, 2009, 10:00 CET
EP vote indicates Fidesz could have won "supermajority" in general election
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz-KDNP would have acquired two-thirds majority support if the general elections had been held instead of the European Parliamentary elections on June 7, dailies Nepszabadsag and Magyar Nemzet reported on Friday quoting pollster Nezopont Institute. The Fidesz-KDNP... [read complete entry]
June 11, 2009, 08:42 CET
Jobbik seeks to form "EU-realistic" group in EP
The radical nationalist Jobbik party's three deputies will seek to initiate a new group of "EU-realists" in the European Parliament, Jobbik head Gabor Vona told reporters in Budapest on Wednesday. Jobbik wants to be in a group with parties that... [read complete entry]
June 10, 2009, 09:47 CET
Think tank says EP elections culmination of years-long crisis for left
The EP elections completed the years-long crisis of the social democratic parties in Europe in general, and in Hungary the left's defeat may undermine the government's stability, an analysis by think-tank Political Capital (PC) sent to MTI on Tuesday said.... [read complete entry]
June 09, 2009, 11:39 CET
PM urges Parliament to stay focused on reform; bemoans success of Jobbik
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai told a session of Parliament on Monday that he was focusing on his work ahead, and he said that the advance of the radical nationalist Jobbik party presented a "huge problem". Bajnai insisted that it was... [read complete entry]
June 09, 2009, 11:35 CET
Bokros may quit newly-won EP seat to drive MDF general election campaign
The new poster boy of Hungary's conservative opposition Democratic Forum (MDF) Lajos Bokros, who is credited with helping the party stay afloat in European elections, is expected to remain an MEP only for a few months, national daily Magyar Hirlap... [read complete entry]
June 09, 2009, 09:20 CET
Socialist leader downplays Fidesz victory; underscores Jobbik links
The 1,600,000 votes obtained by Fidesz at Sunday's elections are many, but not enough, as Fidesz failed to convince its own supporters that the election was about a change of government, Socialist leader Ildikó Lendvai told Parliament on Monday afternoon.... [read complete entry]
June 09, 2009, 09:19 CET
Orbán tells party not to focus on Jobbik
Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán recommended that the party concern itself with its own problems rather than with far-right party Jobbik's unexpectedly good result in Sunday's EU elections, at the Fidesz caucus meeting Monday morning. When someone wins a swimming race... [read complete entry]
June 08, 2009, 03:38 CET
Profiles of Hungary's new MEPs
Hungary's conservatives and radical party Jobbik virtually swept the board in Sunday's European Elections. Among the country's politicians to take their seats in the EP are a former Olympic champion, a British academic and a former member of the European... [read complete entry]
June 08, 2009, 11:16 CET
Wipeout of Hungarian Roma EP slate good news for Roma, non-Roma
With everyone focusing on the strong showing yesterday by Jobbik and the even more brutal-than-expected humiliations suffered by the Socialists and Liberals, little attention has been paid to the absolute drubbing meted out to the Magyarországi Cigányszervezetek Fóruma Roma Összefogás... [read complete entry]
June 08, 2009, 10:33 CET
Fidesz rejects call by Jobbik for street demonstrations to force elections
Hungary's problems should be sorted out in parliament rather than on the streets, the deputy chairwoman of main conservative party Fidesz told commercial television ATV on Monday. Ildiko Gall was responding to a statement by leader of the radical nationalist... [read complete entry]
June 08, 2009, 10:03 CET
Fodor to resign as SZDSZ head following EP electoral disaster
Free Democrat chairman Gábor Fodor will offer his resignation at a specially summoned meeting of the party executive today, as the election result is a disaster for the party, he announced Sunday night. "Voters have punished us, and this must... [read complete entry]
June 07, 2009, 10:38 CET
EP results in; Fidesz dominates as Jobbik nears 15% of popular vote
The main opposition Fidesz party has won the European parliamentary elections in Hungary by winning 14 seats, the National Election Committee (OVB) said on Sunday, after 99.9 percent of the votes counted. The ruling Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) won four... [read complete entry]
June 05, 2009, 12:26 CET
Orbán says EP vote should "resound like thunder" against Socialists
The opinions expressed by voters on Sunday should "resound like thunder" against the Socialists, Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán told an election campaign rally in Nyíregyháza on Thursday. Votes for Fidesz should remind the "Socialist-Free Democrat" cabinet that "the longer they... [read complete entry]
June 05, 2009, 12:23 CET
Outrage over obscene anti-Semitic Internet post by Morvai
Jobbik chief MEP candidate Krisztina Morvai has written in a message to Hungarian Jews posted on an online forum that: "I would be greatly pleased if those who call themselves proud Hungarian Jews played in their leisure with their tiny... [read complete entry]
June 05, 2009, 12:22 CET
Majority disagrees with Orbán's statement on role of Hungarian MEPs
A total of 53% of the Hungarian population disagrees with Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán's statement in Esztergom on May 23 that all Hungarian and ethnic Hungarian MEPs elected on Sunday will represent the Carpathian Basin, according to a poll conducted... [read complete entry]
June 05, 2009, 12:15 CET
Stop yer bitchin' and start predictin'
The moment of truth is finally on us. With less than two days to go before Hungarians (and eligible non-Hungarians) start casting their ballots in this year's hot-hot-hotly contested European Parliamentary elections, now seems like the time to quit focusing... [read complete entry]
June 04, 2009, 01:00 CET
Foreign Minister rues rift with Slovakia; Fidesz weighs in
The ongoing dispute between Hungary's opposition Fidesz party and the Slovak Parliament is part and parcel of the European parliamentary election campaign, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Balazs told MTI on Wednesday. "We regard the fraught dispute between Fidesz and the... [read complete entry]
June 04, 2009, 12:41 CET
Hungary expected to see highest EP election turnout among V4
Hungary will have the highest turnout in the European Parliamentary (EP) elections from among its Visegrad Four peers Slovakia, Czech Republic and Poland, according to a poll by Tarki and the Central European Opinion Research Group published on Wednesday. Just... [read complete entry]
June 04, 2009, 12:32 CET
Orbán says socialist parties from abroad fear Fidesz success
Socialists from Germany, Czech Rep and Slovakia want to help their Hungarian counterpart in the European Parliamentary election and this explains their reaction to Fidesz's stance on the Hungarians of the Carpathian basin, Viktor Orban, leader of the main conservative... [read complete entry]
June 04, 2009, 10:16 CET
Parties shun pre-election TV debate
In the absence of an agreement between Hungary's political parties, the leading European Parliamentary candidates will not take part in a television debate which had been planned earlier, public television station MTV told MTI on Wednesday. The ruling Socialist party... [read complete entry]
June 04, 2009, 09:49 CET
"Hungarian card" dominates Slovak parliament on last day of EP electioneering
The last day of campaigning before European Parliament elections in Slovakia saw the country's parliament busy debating a resolution condemning statements by Fidesz leader Viktor Orbán, the Slovak Spectator reports. The speaker of the Slovak parliament convened the extraordinary session... [read complete entry]
June 04, 2009, 09:17 CET
Medián forecasts 16 of 22 EP seats for Fidesz
A moderate turnout and a sweeping Fidesz victory are expected at the June 7 European parliamentary elections, according to a Medián poll commissioned by weekly HVG. Fidesz looks like winning 16 of the 22 seats available, the Socialists five and... [read complete entry]
June 03, 2009, 09:31 CET
Please accept our apologies for somehow never mentioning that Hungary's terrifying new "Nazi" leader is happily married to a Jew
With just a few days left before this year's European Parliament balloting, it's pretty clear that the big story of the EP election in Hungary is the strong likelihood that the right-wing Jobbik will be the only minor party to... [read complete entry]
June 03, 2009, 09:11 CET
Party EP list leaders expected for TV debate on Friday
State satellite channel DunaTV is ready to host and broadcast live a debate among heads of the party lists for the EU elections, station president László Cselényi announced on Tuesday. He proposed that the leading ethnic Hungarian candidates from other... [read complete entry]
June 03, 2009, 08:40 CET
Workers' Party publishes EP election manifesto
The Hungarian Communist Workers' Party (MKM) promises to defend Hungarian workers and national culture, remain independent from both major parties and confront the rule of capital in its manifesto for the June 7 European parliamentary elections published on the party's... [read complete entry]
June 03, 2009, 08:32 CET
German FM says concerned over Orbán comment on EP
Germany is concerned about Fidesz leader Viktor Orban's recent statement that the EP elections would determine how many deputies can represent the Hungarians of the Carpathian Basin in Brussels, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in Budapest after talks with... [read complete entry]
June 03, 2009, 08:31 CET
European Socialist leader to visit Budapest Wednesday
President of the Party of European Socialists Poul Nyrup Rasmussen will pay a one-day visit to Hungary on Wednesday to join the Socialist party's campaign for the European Parliamentary elections, the Socialist party spokesman told MTI on Tuesday. Rasmussen, invited... [read complete entry]
June 03, 2009, 08:29 CET
Orbán says country's MEPs to represent Hungarians from throughout region
Hungarian deputies in the European Parliament will have to represent all Hungarians living in the Carpathian Basin, the head of the conservative opposition Fidesz party, Viktor Orban said at an election rally on Tuesday. Whoever fails to understand this, or... [read complete entry]
June 03, 2009, 08:05 CET
Almost 6,000 foreign nationals registered to vote in Hungary's EP elections
A total of 5,580 citizens of EU states have registered to vote in Hungary in the upcoming European Parliamentary elections next Sunday, the head of the National Election Office told MTI on Tuesday. The registered include 2,406 Romanians, 1,367 Germans,... [read complete entry]
June 02, 2009, 12:32 CET
Marketing Centrum poll shows Liberals keeping EP seat
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party could win 15 seats in the European Parliament at the upcoming elections, while the governing Socialists could have 5, and the radical nationalist Jobbik and small liberal Free Democrats one deputy each, according to a... [read complete entry]
June 02, 2009, 08:20 CET
Slovak Parliament to convene special session over Orbán's comments
An extraordinary session of the Slovak Parliament has been convened for June 3 to discuss recent comments by Hungarian opposition leader Viktor Orbán, the Slovak Spectator reports. The request for a session was made by 50 members of parties belonging... [read complete entry]
June 02, 2009, 08:14 CET
Orbán downplays Fidesz polling lead in advance of EP vote
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz leader Viktor Orban warned his supporters on Sunday that staying at home or voting for someone else will mean "the left's victory and a continuation of the Gyurcsany-Bajnai era." Speaking on a radio programme, Orban said... [read complete entry]
June 02, 2009, 08:07 CET
Latest poll suggests Fidesz could win 16 of 22 EP seats in Sunday vote
Support for Hungary's main opposition Fidesz and allied Christian Democratic Party (KDNP) at the upcoming European Parliamentary elections has grown further according to pollster Szazadveg-Forsense. According to the report released on Friday, Fidesz-KDNP could win as many as 16 seats,... [read complete entry]
May 29, 2009, 11:32 CET
Poll finds public support for Jobbik's views deeper than party backing
The views promoted by Hungary's radical nationalist Jobbik party are more popular than the party itself, pollster Median said in a report published by the weekly HVG on Thursday. There are more sympathisers of the Hungarian Guard, a paramilitary organisation... [read complete entry]
May 28, 2009, 11:06 CET
Navracsics says Fidesz expects early general elections after EP vote
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party expects early elections in the country just after the European elections, the party's parliamentary group leader told the press during an election rally on Wednesday. Tibor Navracsics said the current government had a poor record.... [read complete entry]
May 28, 2009, 10:25 CET
Socialists slam Fidesz EP campaign, claim it may be illegal
Fidesz's European Parliament (EP) election campaign does not mention one word about the EU, Socialist caucus leader Attila Mesterházy said in a statement on Wednesday. The National Election Commission (OVB) should examine whether the Fidesz campaign has anything to do... [read complete entry]
May 27, 2009, 09:42 CET
Fidesz crush Socialists 71%-17% in new poll
The gap between the conservative opposition Fidesz party and the governing Socialists has further widened ahead of the European parliamentary elections, a survey by the pollster Szazadveg-Forsense published on Tuesday revealed. Among decided voters Fidesz is favoured by 71 percent,... [read complete entry]
May 27, 2009, 09:37 CET
President meets ethnic Hungarian MEPs from Slovakia, Romania
President Laszlo Solyom on Tuesday met in his office ethnic Hungarian MEPs Edit Bauer from Slovakia and Laszlo Tokes from Romania, the President's Office said. Bauer leads the European Parliamentary election list of the Party of the Hungarian Coalition (MKP)... [read complete entry]
May 27, 2009, 09:37 CET
EP candidate vows to break old Roma stereotypes, create new ones
While I am skirting the limits of political incorrectness by making fun of disabled candidates for European Parliament, I might as well add insult to injury by picking on the Roma a bit, in this case the youthful leader of... [read complete entry]
May 27, 2009, 09:33 CET
Orbán meets German chancellor, Italian PM
Leader of Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party Viktor Orban discussed with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Berlin on Tuesday economic issues and preparations for the upcoming European parliamentary elections. Orban told reporters after their meeting that in case the European... [read complete entry]
May 27, 2009, 09:14 CET
Ádám Kósa for prime minister!
I never thought I'd say it, but I think I've found someone I could wholeheartedly support as a Hungarian leader, and who is a member of leading opposition party Fidesz. MEP candidate Ádám Kósa last week made some small... [read complete entry]
May 25, 2009, 09:31 CET
Fidesz campaigns jointly with Slovakia's MKP
The upcoming European Parliamentary elections will determine how many MEPs represent in Brussels the Hungarians living in the Carpathian Basin, head of the main opposition Fidesz party said on Saturday at a joint campaign event with the Party of the... [read complete entry]
May 21, 2009, 10:10 CET
Socialists unveil party manifesto; focus on bailouts, welfare
The major European election goals of Hungary's Socialist party are developing businesses, helping foreign currency borrowers under pressure and introducing European minimum standards in welfare, according to the party's manifesto published on Wednesday. The Socialists also want to reopen talks... [read complete entry]
May 21, 2009, 09:47 CET
Orbán campaigns in Transylvania, says minorities to gain power
The future standing of the Hungarian nation is at stake at the upcoming European Parliament elections, Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán said in a 20-minute speech at Kézdivásárhely, Transylvania on Tuesday. Orbán is in the region to accompany Transylvanian-Hungarian National Council... [read complete entry]
May 20, 2009, 09:46 CET
MDF list leader Bokros calls for more reforms, less party politics
Hungary will need "a critical mass of reforms", namely simultaneous fiscal, tax, health care and public administration reforms to catch up with mainstream Europe, economist Lajos Bokros, who tops the list of the conservative opposition Democratic Forum for the European... [read complete entry]
May 18, 2009, 11:15 CET
Poll forecasts landslide opposition victory in EP elections
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz and allied Christian Democratic Party (KDNP) could win a landslide victory at the forthcoming European Parliamentary elections, the Hungarian Gallup Institute told MTI on Friday. According to a survey conducted earlier in May, Fidesz-KDNP enjoys a... [read complete entry]
May 18, 2009, 10:42 CET
Fidesz calls on government to halt PR in advance of EP election
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party has called on the government, its agencies and state-run companies to stop advertising their activities or promoting their achievements during an election campaign, Fidesz official Zsolt Nyitrai told reporters on Sunday. Fidesz also wants to... [read complete entry]
May 18, 2009, 09:55 CET
Liberal party head denounces emerging two-party system
Europe has bid farewell to the two-party system and Hungary should not vote for such a structure either, Free Democrat chairman Gábor Fodor told reporters on Sunday. He added that the liberal political community is a defining force on shaping... [read complete entry]
May 15, 2009, 09:28 CET
Fidesz wins first place on ballots for EP elections
The Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance will top the list of parties on the ballots in the European parliamentary elections, as it came out first when the National Election Commission drew lots on Thursday to determine the order. The Free Democrats will... [read complete entry]
May 15, 2009, 09:18 CET
Dávid says MDF will get Parliamentary caucus back if EP results good
The Democratic Forum will be able to form a parliamentary caucus after the 2010 elections if the party has a good showing in the European parliamentary voting, chairwoman Ibolya Dávid told reporters on Thursday. Confirming that MPs Kálmán Katona, Zoltán... [read complete entry]
May 14, 2009, 10:58 CET
Orbán presents Fidesz EP platform, denounces austerity measures
The European parliamentary elections will determine "whether we can protect the country from the Bajnai type of austerity package," Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán declared yesterday as he presented his party's election platform.... [read complete entry]
May 14, 2009, 10:53 CET
Németh pushes autonomy for Hungarian minority in Romania
Zsolt Nemeth, head of parliament's foreign affairs committee, said on Wednesday that Hungary's ethnic minority will only have long-term rights guarantees if it is granted autonomy. Hungarians in Transylvania should be granted the power to make decisions on their own... [read complete entry]
May 13, 2009, 09:40 CET
New green party aims to win up to 250,000 votes in EP election
Hungary's new political force, Lehet Mas a Politika (Politics Can Be Different), strives to fight the country's political status quo and reclaim politics for the people, a party official told public television on Tuesday. LMP, which has built a policy... [read complete entry]
May 13, 2009, 09:36 CET
Jobbik confident of winning EP seat, party leader says
Hungary's Jobbik party is confident that it will send its candidate to the European Parliament following the EP elections in June, Jobbik leader Gabor Vona told public Hungarian television on Tuesday. "Two thirds of Hungarian voters are Jobbik supporters, only... [read complete entry]
May 13, 2009, 08:56 CET
Liberals at home in Europe, miserable
It's no secret that the SZDSZ is really struggling these days, with polls showing the party likely to get zero seats in the upcoming European Parliament elections, and to be zeroed out of parliament whenever the next general election... [read complete entry]
May 12, 2009, 08:53 CET
Leader of Socialist EP ticket decries election's focus on domestic politics
Ex-Foreign Minister Kinga Goncz, who tops the Socialist Party's list for the June 7 European parliamentary elections, on Monday called it "incomprehensible" and "thought-provoking" that the EP election campaign had become a scene of "home policy skirmishes". "While we seek... [read complete entry]
May 12, 2009, 08:51 CET
Analyst says Fidesz could receive two-thirds of EP vote
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party will win the June 7 European parliamentary elections ahead of its major rival the Socialists, political analyst Zoltan Kiszelly told reporters in Szekszard, S Hungary, on Monday. While the Socialists may only be able to... [read complete entry]
May 11, 2009, 09:58 CET
Over 5,000 foreigners to vote in EP elections in Hungary
Altogether 5,601 citizens from other EU countries have registered to vote in Hungary in the upcoming European Parliamentary elections, MTI learnt from the National Elections Office on Saturday. Under EP rules citizens of EU member states are entitled to vote... [read complete entry]
May 11, 2009, 09:39 CET
Eight party alliances qualify for European Parliament elections
Eight parties and alliances filed a sufficient number of nominations to the National Election Commission by Friday's deadline to qualify for the European parliamentary elections.... [read complete entry]
May 11, 2009, 09:11 CET
Deutsch says EP vote may lead to early general elections in autumn
A senior official of the main opposition Fidesz party on Friday said that from the political point of view the June 7 European parliamentary elections could be interpreted as the first round of Hungary's general elections, which may be held... [read complete entry]
May 07, 2009, 11:07 CET
Two Hungarian "green" parties join forces ahead of EP elections
Hungary's new green party, Politics Can be Different (LMP), announced on Wednesday that jointly with the Humanist Party (HP) it has collected the required 20,000 voting slips which make them eligible to run at the European Parliamentary elections.... [read complete entry]
May 07, 2009, 11:01 CET
Preview of June 7 European Parliamentary elections
Hungarians will go to the polls in a month's time to elect deputies to the European Parliament for a five-year term.... [read complete entry]
May 05, 2009, 11:36 CET
So goes Iborfia, so goes the nation?
While Hungary's pollsters have been predicing a low turnout for the upcoming European Parliamentary elections, there hasn't been much hard evidence to back up the warning of declining voter engagement. But a recent by-election for mayor in the Zala County... [read complete entry]