Hungary’s defense minister waded into the ongoing struggle between the country’s increasingly fractious governing parties by suggesting that the survival of the existing coalition was crucial to national security.
“There is a strong and determined will to keep the stability of the government for the sake of the country’s stability,” Imre Szekeres said at a press conference in Salgótarján on Wednesday, according to opposition daily Magyar Nemzet.
Szekeres, who also serves as deputy chairman of the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), was a participant in negotiations on Sunday between leaders of the MSZP and the Liberals who are the junior member of the current coalition.
He said that the friction between the two parties is today centered on a pending bill on health insurance reform. He said this debate was inevitable, but that “there is willingness and ability in both parties” to find common ground, “because we have the responsibility to ensure the stability of the country.”
Szekeres said he hopes the law will be finalized before the end of this year, and stressed that the government has to win the support of the society for those measure it believes to be important.
He also said he believes that both the political left and right are current in strange situations, because the left is unable to turn its governing power into popular support, while the right is unable to turn its popular support into governing power. “This is a great lesson for both sides, and I hope we can solve it,” he said.
