Hungary’s ruling Socialist party went back to the drawing board at a congress on Saturday to make plans for bouncing back after a serious June European election defeat to the main opposition Fidesz party.
The agenda included assessment of the Socialist party’s politics and the government’s achievements as well as preparations for the election campaign and designing the appearance of the “New Left” on the political scene.
The congress, held symbolically at an old railway terminus-turned-museum where locomotives changed for a new direction, set out to redefine the party along a clear-cut leftist ideology. Senior official Tibor Szanyi said “it would be great to take a definitive leftist character to the government’s work”.
Addressing the 680 delegates behind closed doors, party leader Ildiko Lendvai firmly raised her voice against splinter groups calling for early elections. She urged any Socialists mulling that idea to join forces with main opposition Fidesz.
After an announcement by House Speaker Katalin Szili to resign in the autumn to concentrate on the party campaign, Lendvai called on all members of the party’s national election committee to do the same and leave government posts immediately after passing next year’s budget, to help reorganise the party.
In his address, Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai reaffirmed that there would be no election budget next year. He said that he is adamant about keeping three goals for next year: cutting the budget deficit to 3.8 percent of GDP, cutting local governments’ spending by 120 billion forints (EUR 442.5m) and railway MAV’s spending by 40 billion forints (EUR 147.5m), MTI learnt from sources who wished to remain anonymous.
The ruling Socialists are in a minority in parliament and need the support of the opposition liberal Free Democrats to pass key legislation, such as the 2010 budget. Bajnai has earlier pledged to remain in office only as long as he has majority support to carry out crisis control measures. He also said he did not wish to run for prime minister in the 2010 elections.
Bajnai presented his Roma integration plans to the delegates and stressed that everyone had a responsibility, including the Roma themselves, in observing the rules of co-habitation, seeking work and reducing the chances of passing down disadvantages to the next generation, MTI learnt. Bajnai welcomed a recent court ruling to ban the paramilitary Hungarian Guard, known for its anti-Roma manifestations, but said that democratic answers should be offered to existing problems to oust extremism from political and public life.
Delegates voted to approve a declaration confirming support for the government’s crisis management efforts and urging the government to take concrete steps in the interest of improving public safety, welfare, and equitableness in carrying the burdens of the crisis.
The congress decided to convene again in November, after the passing of next year’s budget, when it will re-elect officials to top posts, name its prime minister-candidate and prepare a roadmap for the election campaign.
