The Socialist Party elected Attila Mesterházy as its prime ministerial candidate for the 2010 election at a closed meeting on Saturday. Chairwoman Ildikó Lendvai presented Mesterházy as “a man for the future, with whom the left can build for the long term”. Former European Commissioner László Kovács said “a heated campaign is expected, because there is reason for concern regarding the future of democracy”. Mesterházy said he was “honoured” by his nomination, adding that he intends to integrate everyone, adding that “those who plough their own furrow endanger the party’s interests”. He talked with Katalin Szili, László Kovács and József Gráf on their roles in the campaign ahead.
“This election represents more than a battle between right and left: the right is not an enemy, but a competitor and a partner. The right can expect that I will fight ferociously, but not as if we are enemies,” Mesterházy asserted. “The extreme right are different. The extreme right are enemies of democracy and the nation.” Mesterházy avowed.
