Something went amiss under the leadership of the former prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, Socialist Party deputy chairwoman Mónika Lamperth said in an interview with Népszabadság on Thursday.

"Problems might have been with the techniques of creating a better country, rather than with us, and I myself did not have the power to confront this," she said.

"Someone should have stood up in the caucus when Gyurcsány gave his speech at Balatonõszöd in May 2006, but nobody did, including me," Lamperth said.

In the speech, which sparked riots in the autumn of 2006, Gyurcsány confessed that the party had "lied morning, noon and night" about the state of the economy prior to the 2006 elections in order to win the election.

Lamperth said "everything has to be started from scratch, and the first step will be to reconnect with the disillusioned left-wing intelligentsia".