Gordon Bajnai yesterday accepted a nomination for the post of prime minister on condition that the Socialist and the Free Democrat MPs endorse the main points of his crisis-management plan. Bajnai announced his intention to nominate “non-party politicians” to run the ministries relating to crisis management, adding that he will also want to meet President László Sólyom for regular consultations.
“Implementation of this programme will hurt, will demand sacrifices from many people, will affect all families, and Hungarians, but it will bear fruit,” Bajnai told reporters in a press statement in Parliament.
Incumbent Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány introduced Bajnai referring to him as Hungary’s next premier as having a crisis-management programme and who will have majority support in parliament, before leaving the room.
Bajnai said he will take on the “difficult but patriotic responsibilities, despite the unworthy even humiliating developments” of the week since Gyurcsány announced his decision to step aside.
The current economy minister said “Hungary has no time to lose, it must act without delay, and has no spare months to further postpone radical changes that are vital to the operation of the state, adding that “if I have the support of a parliamentary majority, I will not stand idly by, nor engage in politics.”
“I promise openness and forthright words. I will say at this very first moment that implementing this programme will hurt. This crisis management work will not serve the short-term interests of those politicians who espouse it. It is difficult to support, as it comprises a series of tough decisions, as do most responsible decisions in life.”
Bajnai remarked that “early elections are not the work of the devil, but fast and firm measures in the national interest are a better solution for Hungary than anything else.”
In the coming weeks Bajnai will initiate consultations “with all professional organizations and parliamentary parties: I do not care who is a left or right winger. Hungary needs the support of all.”
Gyurcsány told Bajnai of his plan to quit his post three weeks ago, although he spoke to the Socialist executive committee just half an hour before the party convention of the Saturday before last, hirszerzo.hu wrote.
Bajnai said he will outline his programme after he has been confirmed as prime minister at the Sunday Socialist Party convention but before the constructive no-confidence motion is put to a vote in parliament on April 14.
“Bajnai’s programme targets cutting spending by Ft 600 billion, caucus leader Ildikó Lendvai told reporters after yesterdays caucus meeting.
“The National Federation of Entrepreneurs agrees with Bajnai’s plans,” general secretary Ferenc Dávid told Napi Gazdaság on Monday.
Among the measures said to be included in Bajnai’s economic reform package are: child care benefits for only up to the child’s first birthday, rather than the current two years; pension rises based on the Hungarian rate of inflation rather than the current Swiss indexing; a freeze on minimum pensions and the abolition of 13th-month pensions, an increase of the retirement age from 62 to 65; tightened regulations on eligibility for retirement due to disabilities; a freeze on ministry funding; a cut in state subsidies to state railway MÁV; cuts to agrarian subsidies; and lowered health care funding.
Free Democrat chairman Gábor Fodor told MTV Monday night that if his party’s MPs agree with the platform they will sign Bajnai’s contract pledging their support in the House, but will not form a government coalition.
Law Enforcement Minister Tibor Draskovics has issued orders that Bajnai be protected by government guards, Népszava reports. Bajnai is not yet entitled to full protection but the Republican Regiment has been ordered to protect him, his flat and secure his travels throughout Hungary.
the country is in a massive financial crisis, and they want to put the current minister of economics, who is partly responsible for the crisis, in charge of the whole country?! 4 words: remember where you are!
Oh Dear, Oh Dear.
This looks familiar…
Hungary at the crossroads of History again??
And about to do what its ALWAYS DONE at these times…
WHEN TO CHOICES ARE PLAIN TO SEE EVEN FOR A BLIND PERSON, HUNGARY WILL YET AGAIN MAKE COMPLETLY THE WRONG DECISION……..
It’s obvious that there is NO HOPE AT ALL FOR HUNGARY.
This is Car Crash TV played out in Real Life!
At least we will all be able to watch in Slow Motion action relay as our lives are all thrown down the drain..
Nobody can help us now………………..
Oh my God
The Hungarian government is having the poor people pay for the “mistakes” of such dirty politicians as the one who is stepping down. They stole the EU monies and now the honest working people and their families will have to pay the price. How can they get away with this? Why does not the EU do something? Why do not Hungarians themselves do something about it?
Everybody knows that Bajnai is Fletos lacky. They were involved in business topgether and as one corrupt criminal throws in the towel another criminal is primed to take his place.
Absolutely disgusting!
I WONDER HOW MUCH THE POOR HUNGARIANS CAN STILL TAKE? WHEN ARE THEY GOING OUT IN THE STREETS AND DEMONSTRATE AGAINST THIS LYING,STUPID PACK OF IDIOTS WHO BROUGHT THE COUNTRY TO THE BRINK OF COLLAPSE?/ WAKE UP HUNGARIANS!!! THEY USE YOU AND YOU LET THEM DO IT. THAT IS WHY THEY ARE PUTTING MORE AND MORE BURDENS ON YOUR BACKS. THE NEW PM WILL BE WORSE THAN THE ONE WHO RESIGNED. BLOODY B…D. NOW YOU WILL HAVE TO WORK UNTIL YOU ARE 65 .FROM YOUR LAST DAY OF WORK YOU WILL BE TAKEN DIRECTLY TO THE GRAVEYARD…. BECAUSE OF THE STRESS, DEPRESSION AND HOPELESSNESS. THINK OF YOUR CHILDREN !WHAT FUTURE DO THEY HAVE? NONE,I AM TELLING YOU. EVEN COMMUNISM WAS BETTER THAN THIS.
THE CURRENT GOVERNMENT SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERYTHING. WHY DOES NOT THE TAX AUTHORITY LOOK INTO THE MPS TAX FORMS? ESPECIALLY GYURCSANY”S. HE GAVE HIS SALARY TO CHARITY. YOU KNOW WHY? BECAUSE HE CAN DEDUCT IT FROM HIS LIABILITY TO PAY TAX… NOT THAT HE FEELS SORRY FOR ANYONE.DO NOT LET YOURSELVES CARRY AWAY BY ANY FALSE DREAMS. HE IS A RUTHLESS, LYING THIEF. WITH ALL THE BUNCH OF A..S LICKERS AROUND HIM. THEY WILL LAUGH A GOOD ONE AT THE POOR HUNGARIANS HAVING TO WORK TO SAVE THE COUNTRY FROM THE ABYSS THEY PUSHED IT INTO. HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? WHY DOES NOT THE EU CONTROL WHAT IS DONE WITH THE MONIES THEY ALLOCATE? BECAUSE THEY ARE NO BETTER… THEY ARE ALREADY TALKING ABOUT A WORLD CURRENCY… WAKE UP GUYS… EVERYTHING HAS BEEN CAREFULLY PLANNED AHEAD….
There is a theory that the brother-in-law of Bajnai is the lawyer of Demjan Sandor.
There seems to be a large tranch of EU money arriving in Hungary during April which Bajnai is primed to distribute to his cronies including businesses controlled by Demjan etc…….
Lets wait and see how this develops!
What I supose is to take the good old passive resistance,
everybody should stop paying taxes or anything to this
government…
These post kommunist criminals very easily turned their face to
the west and happily rubbed and colonized the country together.
And you can deny it, but who is stuffing them with money to
keep them in power as long as possible? The EU and the IMF and
I think their aims are quite transparent…
I do not think social benefits should be cut back. It should be
reformed, child and birth support should become a tax reduction
(that would solve that problem that one of our minorities are
thinking like breed as hare is better than working…) and social
aid and pensions should be better supervised. We should
minimise the number of employees at the government, give
them the avarage salary (incl. EU representatives with their nice
1million+plus expenses for doing nothing)… And the tax
system (what was btw. created with the help of scandinavian
experties) should be completely changed, for something what
takes the “pressure” from common people to companies. Do you
really think that for me for an instance, to pay 50% income tax
plus 14% for healthcare (while spending a fortune in private) and
having 20% vat on everithing is ok? For this government, for this
state, for the services they provide I think paying only the 20%
vat is more than generous!