Hungary’s ruling Socialists, courting the pensioner vote ahead of the spring elections, are seeking alliance with a powerful pensioner pressure group Tisztelet Tarsasag (Respect Society), national daily Nepszabadsag reported on Friday.
The organisation comprises 820 pensioner clubs and has 142,000 registered members. Its leader is Andor Schmuck, a former Socialist politician who was then involved with small conservative opposition MDF in the 2006 elections.
Schmuck’s organisation has put forward several proposals tailored for pensioners – such as a new widows’ pension and stricter laws on crime against older persons – which the Socialists plan to build into their election programme, the paper said.
Schmuck and Socialist prime minister candidate Attila Mesterhazy held talks on the situation of pensioners a few weeks ago. Schmuck has also held talks on possible cooperation with MDF and leaders of the opposition liberal Free Democrats, as well as the small non-parliamentary parties centrist Centrum party, the Roma party MCF and the Social Democratic party MSZDP.
Main opposition Fidesz, expected to win a landslide, declined to meet Schmuck, the paper said.
Only fools believe anything the Communist MSZP says after Gyurcsany’s Őszödi beszéd
How many of Communist MSZ/SZDSZ coalition and MDF members are facing jail if they fail to get into the Parliament?
You are the expert, so why do you not tell us?
If there will be a trial against Ibolya Dávid for the Fidesz-led plot to replace Dávid with Kornél Almássy, it will be the talk of Europe
This is the Hungarian Watergate, but backwards
The victims get accused and the criminals run free
True Fidesz/Jobbik-land