Center for Fundamental Rights: The left, led by Gyurcsany, takes a pro-war stance

Ever since the formation of the second Gyurcsany government, the Left has been opposed to the expectations and will of the electorate on key issues, an analyst from the Center for Fundamental Rights told the Sunday evening program of Hungary's public M1 news channel.

The left wing, led by (Hungary's former PM) Ferenc Gyurcsany, is now taking a pro-war stance, even though people expect efforts towards peace, Janos Zila added. 

The analyst recalled that when the second Gyurcsany government was formed on 9 June 2006, the public was not yet aware of the politician's so-called "Oszod speech" delivered at the end of the year. However, on the very next day, Ferenc Gyurcsany announced an austerity package. This was the exact opposite of the pledges with which he secured his election victory, because he promised tax cuts, Mr Zila said.

What followed was tax- and utility bill hikes. The price of gas, for example, was raised by 30%, a new tax was introduced for businesses, and social security contributions were also increased, Janos Zila recalled. This came as a wake-up call to many, he said, as voters were expecting a positive announcement then. Ferenc Gyurcsany's party tricked the voters, they did not tell people about the situation that they'd put the country in, the analyst added.

Although the infamous Oszod speech was only made public in September, the austerity measures had already caused the support for the second Gyurcsany government and the popularity of the ruling Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) to plummet, and the Liberal SZDSZ party to disappear, he pointed out. The dwindling support caused frustration for the left, he noted.

Then, when discontent flared up over the speech and people took to the streets, the response was a crackdown and police terror by order of the prime minister, he said. Support for the left has remained low ever since, so frustration remains, as evidenced by the fact that recent protests have repeatedly turned violent, Mr Zila said.

The rejection of the Left has been stable ever since, and they cannot get out of this spiral, the analyst added. In fact, they are exacerbating their plight by turning their back on people on key issues. "For example, they support the migrant quota and they support the war," he added.

Janos Zila stressed that voters are looking to their leaders to address their fears. He said that this is the difference between the two political sides. The pro-war stance is one of the reasons why even committed left-wing voters are reluctant to support Mr Gyurcsany's party, he added.

Cover photo: DK party President Ferenc Gyurcsany (centre), his wife Klara Dobrev, Csaba Molnar (left) and Sandor Ronai (second from right), the party's elected MPs at the DK results-waiting event, on 26 May 2019. (Photo: MTI)