The minority governing Socialist Party (MSZP) is not considering replacing Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, MSZP MP Tamas Suchman said on Hungarian Television on Tuesday.

Suchman spoke after the leader of the Free Democrats (SZDSZ) both rejected Gyurcsany's multi-year programme of tax cuts and called for its former governing ally to be replaced by a government of experts.

Suchman said he was surprised at the liberal party's determined rejection of the tax package, adding that he had expected more substantive negotiations before the Free Democrats made a decision.

Suchman said however that the Socialists were holding out the possibility that the liberals might still support the government's budget bill.

"I don't think that they would bear the responsibility of not having a budget, not having a pension hike in January or not granting higher wages to public employees," he said. "Negotiations must be continued at all levels, both officially and informally," he added.

"SZDSZ cannot make constant attempts to decide who the prime minister should be," Suchman said.