gordon bajnai
March 03, 2010, 01:10 CET
Bajnai declares that the extremists are already in the courtyard
“The extremists are in the courtyard and are knocking on the doors of the house of democracy,” Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said at a ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of the national security forces on Tuesday. He said Hungary is... [read complete entry]
February 26, 2010, 09:58 CET
Hungary to assume specific responsibility in EU Danube Strategy, says PM
Hungary assumes a specific responsibility for drafting the EU's Danube Strategy as the document will be up for approval during its EU presidency in the first half of 2011, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said in Budapest on Thursday. Opening a... [read complete entry]
February 26, 2010, 09:56 CET
Neo-Nazi commemoration on March 6 called off
A neo-Nazi demonstration organised for March 6 will be cancelled, daily Nepszabadsag reported on Friday. Originally planned by the neo-Nazi organisation NS Front, later the demonstration was taken under the wings of the National Revolutionary Party (NFP), which as a... [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 23, 2010, 10:13 CET
President Sólyom, opposition's Orbán lead poll
President Laszlo Solyom was given 47 points out of a maximum of 100 by respondents in a popularity survey by pollster Szonda Ipsos published in Tuesday's Nepszabadsag daily. Viktor Orban, head of the main opposition Fidesz, garnered 44 points -... [read complete entry]
February 23, 2010, 10:08 CET
PM urges Socialists, Fidesz to jointly combat extremism
Hungary's Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Monday urged cooperation against extremism between the ruling Socialists and main opposition Fidesz Addressing parliament's last pre-election session, Bajnai said Fidesz leader Viktor Orban and the Socialist PM-candidate Attila Mesterhazy had one thing in... [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 11, 2010, 09:52 CET
Hungarian PM meets OSCE Commissioner over Slovak language law
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai met Knut Vollebaek, OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, to discuss Slovakia's amended state language law on Wednesday. Vollebaek arrived in Budapest on Tuesday for talks after meetings on the contested law in Bratislava the previous... [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 02, 2010, 10:32 CET
Bajnai outlines government's priorities in the future
The government's priorities in the years ahead will be increasing employment, improving education, combating extremists, supporting Roma integration and regaining the shaken credibility of politics, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said on Monday. Speaking at the István Bibó Society's Day of... [read complete entry]
January 29, 2010, 10:20 CET
Hungary to help victims of Slovak language law
The cabinet will establish a Ft 50 million fund from February 1 to compensate ethnic Hungarians in Slovakia who are fined for using their native language, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai announced Thursday. The funds will be made available through the... [read complete entry]
January 26, 2010, 03:08 CET
Prime Minister to sue documentary maker and daily for libel
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai is turning to the courts over an interview conducted with László Pesty in daily Helyi Téma, which was subsequently reproduced in a documentary by Pesty, government portal magyarorszag.hu announced. The name of Pesty's documentary is "Time... [read complete entry]
January 21, 2010, 09:38 CET
PM says "iron curtain" divides Hungary into political camps
The "iron curtain" which divides Hungary into political camps should be torn down, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said Wednesday in an interview with Austrian daily Die Presse. A wide-ranging political agreement is necessary in Hungary, he remarked, as the political... [read complete entry]
January 18, 2010, 10:51 CET
Hungarian PM to visit Zagreb on Monday
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai will leave for Zagreb on Monday for talks with his Croatian counterpart Jadranka Kosor, the government spokesman told MTI. The talks will focus on secure energy supply and EU enlargement, including Croatia's accession, Domokos Szollar... [read complete entry]
January 15, 2010, 10:36 CET
Hungarian PM meets new US ambassador
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai met new US Ambassador to Hungary Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis in his office in Parliament on Thursday. Bajnai said it was important that the United States is represented by a personality who nourishes close relations with US... [read complete entry]
January 15, 2010, 10:26 CET
Prime Minister stresses he took post for no longer than a year
"The upcoming elections will be a struggle between responsibility and demagoguery, window dressing and power lust," Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said in an interview with the weekly 168 Óra on Thursday. Asked whether he will return to politics for the... [read complete entry]
January 14, 2010, 10:13 CET
Gov't announces moratorium on big decisions for six-week pre-election period
The Socialist government will not make any major decisions - on personnel, state investments or subsidies - in the six-week period before the election, the government spokesman said on Wednesday. Domokos Szollar said that Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai had told... [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 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 05, 2010, 10:24 CET
Jobbik to appeal to Sólyom over PM's "prejudiced" remark about party
Far-right party Jobbik will appeal to President László Sólyom over what it deems to have been a "prejudiced" remark made by Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai over the weekend. The premier said in an interview with state news agency MTI on... [read complete entry]
December 30, 2009, 10:33 CET
Bajnai urged to speed up opening of communist-era secret files
An independent MP urged Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Tuesday to press for new legislation on the handling of pre-1990 communist era files. Jozsef Gulyas called on Bajnai to make a commitment "beyond verbal agreement" to speeding up the... [read complete entry]
December 23, 2009, 09:53 CET
Politicians' prestige suffers in 2009, but pecking order remains stable
The prestige of Hungarian politicians generally declined in 2009 but their ranking remained by and large unchanged over the past year, national daily Nepszabadsag said on Wednesday, citing a recent Szonda Ipsos poll. Hungary's relatively most popular politician is President... [read complete entry]
December 23, 2009, 09:45 CET
Median poll shows Fidesz's lead over Socialists narrowing
The main opposition Fidesz's lead over the rival ruling Socialists has narrowed to 40:16 percent by December, a poll by Median released on Tuesday showed. Support for Fidesz fell from 47 percent in July to 43 percent in November and... [read complete entry]
December 17, 2009, 10:02 CET
President says MPs should have opted for early elections after fall of Gyurcsány
President Laszlo Solyom said in a press interview that Hungary would have come off better if the parliamentary majority had opted for early elections when Ferenc Gyurcsany resigned as prime minister in 2008. "As they only replaced the premier at... [read complete entry]
December 15, 2009, 07:48 CET
Bajnai's euro adoption statement reveals geography is not his strongest subject
Years ago, politicians were predicting that Hungary would flourish after joining the European Union and that the euro would have replaced the forint by now. Obviously that's not the case, but earlier today, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai declared that if... [read complete entry]
December 14, 2009, 11:05 CET
Bajnai warns again populism in address to Socialist congress
Hungary will again undergo a period of pain if the next government fails to follow the current course set by the current crisis-management administration and instead resorts to "irresponsible populist" politics, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai told the Socialist party congress... [read complete entry]
December 14, 2009, 10:24 CET
Mesterházy officially chosen as Socialists' candidate for PM
The Socialist Party convention elected caucus leader Attila Mesterházy as the party's prime ministerial candidate with a 90% majority, and the party national list with a 70% majority on Saturday. "The Socialist Party is preparing for a frank, intense and... [read complete entry]
December 11, 2009, 09:24 CET
Bajnai urges cooperation between left and right to fight far right
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Wednesday called for joining forces between Hungary's left and right in the fight against the far right. Bajnai told a conference focusing on the co-existence and cooperation of Jewish and non-Jewish Hungarians that every possible... [read complete entry]
December 09, 2009, 09:56 CET
Public support crucial for reducing corruption, Bajnai says
Parliament's expected passage of an anti-corruption law next Monday will be a milestone, but its stipulations will not resolve all problems: public support to their enforcement is also needed, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said on Wednesday, the International Anti-Corruption Day.... [read complete entry]
December 07, 2009, 12:46 CET
Fidesz unveils campaign poster featuring the "shining stars" of the Socialist Party
As much as Ferenc Gyurcsány was the face of the Socialists' election campaign in 2006, it appears likely that he'll be one of the main faces of Fidesz's current electoral campaign, if the poster above is any indication. As... [read complete entry]
December 07, 2009, 09:45 CET
Hungary to expand number of troops in Afghanistan
Hungary will increase the number of its troops serving in Afghanistan by 200, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai announced Friday afternoon following talks with US Vice-President Joe Biden in the White House. Hungary has 340 soldiers in Afghanistan. Bajnai did not... [read complete entry]
December 03, 2009, 12:42 CET
Bajnai gives medal to "legendary" former US ambassador Palmer
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai presented a high state honour to Mark Palmer, who had been the US ambassador to Hungary during its transition to democracy 20 years ago, in Washington on Wednesday, US time. The prime minister handed over the... [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 02, 2009, 01:31 CET
Justice minister Draskovics resigns
Justice and Law Enforcement Minister Tibor Draskovics on Tuesday tendered his resignation and will leave his post before the end of the year, the Justice Ministry told MTI on Wednesday. Draskovics has decided to resign because "most of the legislative... [read complete entry]
December 02, 2009, 09:45 CET
Socialist PM candidate Mesterházy vows to turn party's fortunes around
Socialist party group leader Attila Mesterhazy told MTI in an interview that he was prepared to undertake the responsibility of leading the party into the general election next spring as the party's prime-minister candidate, saying that it was not too... [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, 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 27, 2009, 10:16 CET
Current, former finance ministers address conference on Hungary's global role
Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Balazs and one of his predecessors Janos Martonyi spoke about the need to intensify European integration at a conference in Budapest on Thursday. After four and a half centuries, Hungary is now in a position to... [read complete entry]
November 25, 2009, 09:52 CET
Bajnai welcomes nomination of Mesterházy as Socialist PM candidate
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai welcomed that the ruling Socialist Party presidium would recommend Attila Mesterhazy as the party's prime minister candidate in the 2010 general elections. The Socialist party's presidium decided on Tuesday to recommend Mesterhazy, the party's deputy... [read complete entry]
November 25, 2009, 09:11 CET
Bajnai plans official visit to Washington next week
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai is scheduled to pay a visit to Washington D.C. in the second half of next week, Wednesday's daily Nepszabadsag said it had learnt from sources. Budapest, however, has not confirmed the information, the paper was told... [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 24, 2009, 08:15 CET
Politicians' popularity continues to drop in November
Hungary's president and the head of the main opposition remained the most popular politicians in a November poll, which, however, gave low ratings overall to all players, daily Nepszabadsag said on Monday, quoting a Szonda Ipsos poll. President Laszlo Solyom... [read complete entry]
November 23, 2009, 06:14 CET
Bajnai asks liberals to support 2010 budget
Hungary's Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai attended a meeting of the liberal opposition Free Democrats' parliamentary group on Monday to discuss the party's support for the 2010 budget. The minority ruling Socialists need the liberal votes for passing next year's budget.... [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, 10:45 CET
NATO Chief welcomes Hungary's plan to increase defense spending
NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on Thursday welcomed Hungary's decision to slightly increase its defence budget next year in spite of the current economic crisis. Meeting reporters after talks with Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai, Rasmussen noted that the guideline for... [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 20, 2009, 10:40 CET
Hungarian PM welcomes election of first European Council President
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai welcomed the election of the first President of the Council of the European Union, Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy following the EU summit in Brussels late on Thursday. When selecting the president, decision makers... [read complete entry]
November 17, 2009, 12:55 CET
Hungarian prime minister becomes international flu vaccine star
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai has become an international news media star recently due to the H1N1 flu to end all flues, kepviselofunky.blog.hu reports. The photo of him here has made it into international stories about getting the vaccine, but... [read complete entry]
November 17, 2009, 09:35 CET
Delays scupper PM's speech in Italy
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai was unable to address the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) summit in Rome on Monday as the session was running late and he had to catch a plane back to Budapest. Bajnai said he discussed... [read complete entry]
November 13, 2009, 09:26 CET
Fidesz demands details on former PM's sinister secret control of "independent" successor
According to this report from last week, Fidesz is demanding to know why Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and his widely-loathed predecessor, Ferenc Gyurcsány, remain in contact despite the latter's supposed withdrawal from politics, and what they have been discussing during... [read complete entry]
November 10, 2009, 09:43 CET
Bajnai says Hungary proud of role in bringing down Berlin Wall
Hungary’s role in the fall of the Berlin Wall makes it one of the “heroes of the moment” of 1989, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai told Hungarian reporters in Berlin before Monday commemorations marking the 20th anniversary of the collapse of... [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 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 06, 2009, 10:39 CET
Bajnai to nominate former FinMin, Socialist heavyweight Veres to major post
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said on Thursday that he would nominate former finance minister Janos Veres, a Socialist Party stalwart, for an important office. Speaking to reporters Bajnai said that he would name the post once it has become... [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, 09:52 CET
Bajnai welcomes Czech court ruling clearing way for Lisbon Treaty adoption
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai welcomed the Tuesday ruling of the Czech Constitutional Court, which declared the Lisbon Treaty compatible with the Czech Constitution, the Hungarian Government Spokesman's Office told MTI. "The Czech Constitutional Court's ruling is good news for... [read complete entry]
November 02, 2009, 11:23 CET
Gyurcsány addresses Socialist Party session in first post-PM appearance
Former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany addressed a session of his minority governing Socialist Party on Friday, on the occasion of the party's 20th anniversary. Gyurcsany, who made his first public appearance since he resigned in March, called on the Socialists... [read complete entry]
November 02, 2009, 10:35 CET
Fear among Socialists that time running out for selection of PM candidate
The time has come for the embattled Socialist party to put a face to its impending election campaign by picking a prime-minister candidate, a senior government official said in an interview in Saturday's Nepszava daily. The minority governing party is... [read complete entry]
October 30, 2009, 11:29 CET
Bajnai says Hungary opposes restart of Lisbon ratification process
Hungary will not stand by the reopening of the Lisbon Treaty's ratification process, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said after meeting his counterparts from the Visegrad Four countries (Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Czech Rep) and Slovenia in Brussels on Thursday. Speaking before... [read complete entry]
October 29, 2009, 10:54 CET
Nézőpont survey finds growing support for PM, Fidesz supermajority
The huge lead of conservative opposition party Fidesz against the ruling Socialists narrowed slightly in October while positive views of the prime minister's handling of the economic crisis increased, said think-tank Nezopont in poll, to appear in Thursday's political weekly... [read complete entry]
October 26, 2009, 10:37 CET
Commemorations of 1956 anti-Soviet revolt passes without major unrest
Hungary held national commemorations on the anniversary of its crushed anti-Soviet revolution of 1956 on Friday. The anniversary coincided with events marking the 20th anniversary of the change in political system. Police reported no incidents or violence at commemorations. It... [read complete entry]
October 21, 2009, 09:40 CET
Poll shows Fidesz gaining support by five percentage points in October
Main conservative opposition party Fidesz would get three times as much support if an election were held this Sunday than the minority ruling Socialists, according to a poll by Szazadveg-Forsense published on Tuesday. Fidesz boosted its support in October by... [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 15, 2009, 09:16 CET
Former Finance Minister confident of European Commission nomination
I've always suspected that former Finance Minister János Veres was an optimist. The man who was finance minister as the government tanked the economy always insisted that he would also be the one to rescue it. Needles to say, that... [read complete entry]
October 14, 2009, 09:54 CET
Hungary praised for Roma integration program
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and European Union Commissioner for Equal Opportunities Vladimir Spidla praised Hungary's programme to integrate the Roma minority, at a press conference following their meeting in Budapest on Tuesday. "Hungary has a clear-cut programme and may be... [read complete entry]
October 14, 2009, 09:50 CET
Hungary launches proceedings against Slovakia
Hungary is launching proceedings against Slovakia at the European Commission over that country's refusal to allow President László Sólyom into the country on August 21, government spokesman Domokos Szollár told reporters on Tuesday. He said Hungary aims to resolve the... [read complete entry]
October 14, 2009, 09:23 CET
Socialists considing five candidates for Hungary's EU commissioner
The national board of the ruling Socialist party is to put forward a list of five possible candidates to represent Hungary in the European Commission, the party's leader Ildiko Lendvai told MTI on Tuesday. Lendvai said the party recommended to... [read complete entry]
October 12, 2009, 09:22 CET
Hungarian PM lashes out at Czech president over EU treaty tactics
Czech President Vaclav Klaus's position on the Lisbon Treaty hinders Europe's recovery from the crisis, Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said in an interview printed in the Saturday issue of The Times. Bajnai, who visited Britain on Friday, told the... [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 05, 2009, 11:04 CET
Hungarian PM, opposition welcome Irish passage of EU Lisbon treaty
Hungary's prime minister on Saturday welcomed the outcome of the Irish referendum on the Lisbon Treaty, saying that the EU could become more efficient and valuable as a result. Gordon Bajnai said in a statement that the decision was victory... [read complete entry]
October 02, 2009, 10:56 CET
PM urges further push to integrate Roma
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai stressed the importance of integrating Roma into society yesterday as he addressed an economic conference in Budapest. Speaking at the event organised by economic institute Pénzügykutató and CIB Bank, Bajnai called the integration of Roma one... [read complete entry]
October 02, 2009, 10:19 CET
Bajnai vows government will protect pensioners' interests
Bajnai vows government will protect interests of pensioners Hungary's prime minister Gordon Bajnai offered partnership to pensioners and promised he would protect their long-term interests at a forum on Thursday. Speaking at an event marking the International Day of Older... [read complete entry]
October 01, 2009, 10:10 CET
PM reportedly ready to nominate Socialist for EU commissioner
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and ruling Socialist Party leaders will discuss on Friday whom to nominate as European commissioner, Nepszabadsag daily said on Thursday. The three Socialist politicians running for the post are MEP Edit Herczog, incumbent commissioner Laszlo Kovacs... [read complete entry]
September 30, 2009, 09:37 CET
Socialists make inroads into Fidesz lead in new poll; Bajnai surges
The politicians of Hungary's embattled ruling Socialist party have started to make inroads into the popularity rating of their conservative opposition Fidesz peers, and positive views of Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai have grown sharply, according to a survey by Szazadveg... [read complete entry]
September 28, 2009, 10:33 CET
Socialist leader says Bajnai should be party's candidate in next election
The Socialist party wants to nominate Gordon Bajnai as its candidate for prime minister in the spring 2010 elections, the party's leader Ildiko Lendvai said in an interview to Monday's Nepszabadsag. It would be "evidence of the Socialist Party's incapacity"... [read complete entry]
September 28, 2009, 10:24 CET
MSZP vows continued cooperation with Bajnai
The cooperation between the leadership of the Socialist Party and Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai is "strong and respectable", Gabor Simon, head of the ruling party's national board said in the interval of the body's session on Saturday. In an address... [read complete entry]
September 28, 2009, 09:29 CET
Christian Democrats to cooperate with Roma group in preparing election program
Conservative opposition party Christian Democrats (KDNP) will cooperate with the Roma College in preparing the party's election programme, a party spokeswoman said on Friday. Zsuzsa Halasz welcomed Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai's recent announcement on plans to employ 200 new Roma... [read complete entry]
September 25, 2009, 09:21 CET
Politicians' unpopularity slightly eases in new poll
The unpopularity of Hungary's politicians has eased slightly, suggesting that voters might be willing to give them one last chance at the start of the autumn cycle, daily Nepszabadsag said on Friday, quoting a Szonda Ipsos poll. But the order... [read complete entry]
September 24, 2009, 09:39 CET
Bajnai vows to resign if Parliament rejects budget bill
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Wednesday said he would resign if parliament rejects the 2010 budget bill in November, though he said he was confident that the bill would clear Parliament. Giving a lecture in Columbia University, Bajnai said... [read complete entry]
September 24, 2009, 09:35 CET
Majority expects Fidesz to form government without coalition partners
More than half of Hungarians, 58%, expect Fidesz to form a government on its own after next year's parliamentary elections, according to a poll by the conservative Nézõpont institute. Only 33% disagree. Some 49% of Socialist Party supporters and 52%... [read complete entry]
September 22, 2009, 10:42 CET
Bajnai meets UN head, discusses proposed Security Council seat
Hungarian Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Monday informed UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about his country's plan to apply for Security Council membership in 2012-13, government spokeswoman Bernadett Budai told MTI. Hungary has negotiated with several countries and plans to consult... [read complete entry]
September 21, 2009, 10:36 CET
Bajnai begins official visit to New York
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai met investors at an event organised by Citibank in New York on Sunday. Bajnai travelled to the US for a five-day visit to attend a UN general meeting. He is scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General Ban... [read complete entry]
September 18, 2009, 10:06 CET
PM lauds Hungary-Croatia relations at joint government session
Hungary's strategic partnership with Croatia can provide a model for the rest of Europe, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said in his opening remarks of the joint government session held in Barcs, S Hungary, on Thursday. "Long, outstanding relations and cooperation... [read complete entry]
September 17, 2009, 11:32 CET
Fidesz retains big lead in latest Median poll
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party retained its big lead over the minority governing Socialist party in September, pollster Median said on Wednesday. Among decided voters, Fidesz kept its backing at 67 percent while the Socialist Party's support level increased from... [read complete entry]
September 15, 2009, 12:09 CET
Police cadets powerless against boring PM
Last week Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai (center, with Justice Minister Tibor Draskovics) gave a speech about his government's new "Order and Security" program at the start-of-term ceremony of the Rendőrtiszti Főiskola (Police Academy) at which several future police officers... [read complete entry]
September 15, 2009, 10:50 CET
Katona elected new Speaker of Parliament
Parliament yesterday elected Socialist Béla Katona as Speaker to replace the outgoing Katalin Szili. Katona received 319 votes against 22 abstentions in the secret ballot. All the other caucus leaders congratulated him, as did Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and Szili.... [read complete entry]
September 14, 2009, 11:22 CET
Bajnai slams Fidesz for undercutting government in Slovakia talks
The opposition has broken the national consensus concerning Slovakia's state language law with its statements made after the recent prime ministerial meeting, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai told public television on Sunday evening. "We are struggling in the foreign policy arena... [read complete entry]
September 14, 2009, 09:47 CET
Bajnai announces new EU-backed Roma initiative
Nearly 200 Roma with university degrees will be admitted to work in public administration with their salaries to be initially paid by an EU project, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said in an interview with Népszabadság. The government will also begin... [read complete entry]
September 11, 2009, 11:47 CET
Hungarian, Slovak leaders meet in bid to re-establish normal relations
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico did not apologise for his country's refusal to admit President László Sólyom on August 21 and offered no concessions on the controversial new language law during his meeting with Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Thursday.... [read complete entry]
September 11, 2009, 11:24 CET
PM in talks with SZDSZ head over 2010 budget
The 2010 budget bill was the focus of talks between Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai and liberal opposition Free Democrats leader Attila Retkes on Thursday. Retkes said that on the basis of the basic budget figures, he saw a good chance... [read complete entry]
September 11, 2009, 11:21 CET
Government appoints new secret services minister
The new minister responsible for the civilian secret services will be Gabor Juhasz, the former deputy justice minister, the government spokesman said on Thursday. Domokos Szollar said that Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai made the announcement at a meeting of the... [read complete entry]