Experts say new SZDSZ leader Gábor Fodor and Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány are waiting for their parties to stabilize before coming to an agreement. Based on statements made by the governing MSZP and former coalition partners SZDSZ and media reports, its no coincidence nothing concrete came of the meeting between Ferenc Gyurcsány and new SZDSZ chairman Gábor Fodor on Tuesday, Sámuel Mráz Ágoston, political analyst with Nézőpont Intézet (Viewpoint Institute), told right-wing daily Magyar Hírlap on Tuesday.
He said this benefits Fodor because, despite his recent election as party chairman, relations in the party remain complex, and as the struggle for power continues his mandate is uncertain. Meanwhile, it also allows Gyurcsány to retain power as any new coalition agreement would make his resignation a prerequisite.
Former chairman and minister of economy and transport János Kóka and those opposing Fodor remain strong, leaving Fodor with no clear authorization to determine the party line, he claimed. Even if he obtains the caucus leadership, Fodor cannot expect the party to line up behind. Mráz says it is unpredictable when and how the power struggle will end and, until a solution is reached, Fodor cannot conclude any specific agreements on behalf of his party.
Playing for time is beneficial to Gyurcsány as it aids his political survival, Mráz added. All reports suggesting the prospect of an agreement strengthen Gyurcsány’s position. Still, it appears that the prime minister has temporarily stabilized his own position within the party, he concluded.
However, Political Capital director Zoltán Somogyi told Napi Gazdaság that news that Fodor does not see the future of his party in the coalition has eased Gyurcsány’s position, as his departure would be one of the conditions for a new alliance. It is symbolic that the meeting was longer than that between Fodor and Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán last Saturday, suggesting that working with the government is more important to him than any potential co-operation with the right.
