The ruling Socialists are racing against time so as to present their renewed programme and endeavours to the public until the next general elections, leader of the party (MSZP), Ildiko Lendvai told MTI on Wednesday.
Asked if the time available is sufficient to achieve that goal, she said, “of course, it would only be insufficient if we wanted to change our character, values and voter base. … The MSZP, however, is not preparing for a turn-around. Instead, it plans to make ties closer with its traditional voter base and complement its endeavours with new features.”
Lendvai confirmed that the Socialists would continue to support Gordon Bajnai’s government until the parliamentary elections scheduled for next spring.
The party leader said she had not feared that the Socialist congress last Saturday would end up in a split.
Despite prophecies that the congress will face unsolvable conflicts, “the party proved to be shatterproof, cohesion was stronger than dispute,” she said.
Lendvai attributed the recent poll results indicating poor support for the Socialists to problems in communication, the party’s failure to find allies, faults in implementation of reform policies and frequent haste.
Asked about her personal future, Lendvai confirmed that she would not run for re-election even if she were nominated for the post before the November vote.
If the Socialists nominate a prime minister-candidate from among their ranks, the same person should become the party leader, she said.
