The Socialist Party executive committee named three potential candidates for the post of prime minister on Tuesday evening.
Incumbent premier Ferenc Gyurcsány said the party executive proposes that official consultations should now begin with former Academy of Sciences president Ferenc Glatz, two-time National Bank governor György Surányi and president of the economic institute GKI András Vértes. All three candidates declined to comment on the premier’s words.
Gyurcsány said the Socialists believe that three days of talks will establish that at least “one of these three people can obtain the support necessary to become the next prime minister of Hungary.”
The three have “in principle” assented to the nominations, but will only formally accept the candidacy if they would enjoy a parliamentary majority.
The Socialists’ negotiating team will continue to hold talks on the candidates with its own party caucus and the Free Democrats. The Socialist caucus instructed the negotiating team to hold preliminary consultations on every one of its proposals in advance with the liberals’ caucus, InfoRádió was told by Socialist sources on Tuesday.
Caucus leader Ildikó Lendvai told InfoRádió on Tuesday evening that “only someone with the support of both the Socialist caucus and the Free Democrats will be made a prime ministerial candidate”. Gyurcsány phoned Free Democrat chairman Gábor Fodor and briefed him on the decision of the Socialist executive, the state news agency MTI reported.
Fodor confirmed that the Free Democrats will keep to their own Thursday deadline and want to reach an agreement “because all the possible solutions except a crisis-management cabinet would mean a significant loss of time for the country”.
Népszava learned from “a reliable source” that the Free Democrats oppose Glatz’s nomination, could support Surányi and will decide on a position on Vértes today.
Surányi was reported to have left the Free Democrat headquarters shortly before what Fodor later called a “standard” caucus meeting on Tuesday.
Asked by Népszabadság whether present cabinet members could be included in the next one, Fodor said “basic changes in ministry structure are needed. It must be stressed that this is a crisis-management cabinet, with a different profile and purpose,” he added.
Several Socialist executive committee members told Népszabadság on Tuesday that if the first step towards consensus on a candidate is not reached by Wednesday or Thursday, early elections will be unavoidable.
“The Democratic Forum is not thinking of a coalition with the Socialist Party nor have we received such an offer,” Forum leader Ibolya Dávid told reporters after holding talks with the prime minister on Tuesday.
“The Forum has always taken an “opposing stance” to the Socialist Party and does not intend to change that position, she explained. “The Forum will not reject the constructive no-confidence motion because my party deems it important that Gyurcsány leave,” Dávid added.
Surányi has also met with Gyurcsány, who promised to obtain the support of the Socialist caucus. Socialist sources told the daily that in the present situation “the western financial interests who keep the country alive” will only accept a prime minister who can guarantee the repayment of credits and a stringent budget policy.
According to Magyar Nemzet, the Socialists have practically reached an agreement with Surányi, who wants to choose the new finance and economy ministers.
However Surányi would only accept the post if the new cabinet does not become the target of parties, MTI learned from several sources on Tuesday.
Surányi has repeatedly and sharply criticised the fiscal measures adopted by the Gyurcsány cabinet in the last few months, InfoRádió observes.
