SOCIALISTS URGE ELECTION OF NEW OFFICIALS

Yesterday the presidium of the Hungarian Socialist Party held a session and it wants an early election of new officials in October because of the EP election defeat though personal responsibilities have not been mentioned.

The analysis of the causes of the election defeat will be ready by the end of next week. The next party congress will be held on October 15-16. This congress will decide about personal changes, about the new programme of the party, and about the reform of the structure of the party. Chairman László Kovács said this latter was the most important issue as the present structure was not good enough to mobilize people. The name of the Israeli campaign adviser, Ron Werber has not been mentioned. László Kovács allegedly expressed his wish not to start again for the chairmanship of the party. Among his successors Katalin Szili, Ildikó Lendvai, István Hiller, and Ferenc Gyurcsány are mentioned most frequently. After the session of the presidium the Socialist parliamentary faction was also convened and the election defeat was also criticized by faction members. One of them called the party ’being in a state of suspended animation’.