Homecoming EU Commissioner László Kovács - who will probably be succeeded by László Andor - has said that he would gladly be the Socialist Party's candidate for prime minister in next year's general elections, especially since current Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai doesn't want anything to do with it. When asked about this, Socialist faction director József Tóbiás said he would be delighted if Kovács were willing to be the party's candidate, atv.hu reports. The television station's website reported Socialist spokesman István Nyakó as stating "the fact that he didn't accept the offer in 2001 shows how great of a man he is." Kovács did not run as the party's candidate in 2002 because Fidesz would have made the entire campaign about Kovács's past prior to 1990. Instead, the Socialists turned to someone "without" a communist past, Péter Medgyessy, which didn't turn out so well. I suppose the only ones who would be more delighted by Kovács's candidacy than the Socialists' old guard would be Fidesz, who could finally run the campaign they no doubt wanted to in 2002.