Posted on 04/23/2006 1:43:32 PM PDT by Lukasz
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary's Socialist-led coalition won a general election on Sunday with an increased majority in parliament to become the country's first government to retain power since communism fell in 1989.
With 98 percent of the vote counted in the second round of polling, the election commission projected the Socialist Party and its Free Democrat allies would increase their majority from 198 to 210 seats in the 386-member parliament.
It was a personal triumph for 44-year-old Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, who rescued the Socialists from what looked certain defeat when he became premier in 2004, and provides him with a stronger platform to push through reforms.
"We understand the responsibility we have been given. We have to create a better, more successful Hungary that is better to live in," Gyurcsany, a millionaire businessman, told hundreds of ecstatic supporters, some of them waving the national flag.
Gyurcsany now faces a test to convince investors holding billions of dollars of Hungarian bonds and the European Union that Hungary will finally take action to cut its budget deficit, the biggest in the EU relative to the size of the economy.
His charisma played a role in his victory and, unlike many other leaders across central Europe, he did not have the stigma of having held a senior post under communist rule.
He has so far avoided taking the tough decisions that are needed to reform the economy but which could have turned off voters, and gained from rifts in the right-wing opposition.
DIVIDED OPPOSITION
Conceding defeat, opposition leader and former Prime Minister Viktor Orban told supporters: "Those who join forces win and the losers are those who are unable to cooperate."
The election commission projections put the Fidesz party led by Orban on 164 seats and the smaller right-wing Hungarian Democratic Forum, which Fidesz failed to woo, on 11 places after the two rounds of voting.
Some 174 seats were at stake in the second round, following the first round on April 9 when the governing parties emerged ahead. Turnout was 64.3 percent on Sunday.
No government had been re-elected in the four other free elections since the collapse of communist rule.
Gyurcsany has turned around the Socialists' fortunes since becoming prime minister after a party rebellion against his predecessor, Peter Medgyessy.
The key problem for the central European country of 10 million people is to cut the budget deficit of 6.1 percent of gross domestic product. Gyurcsany, who faces municipal elections later this year, has promised reform but not austerity.
"The government will have a much more secure basis on which to govern than after (the last election in) 2002," said Laszlo Keri, a political analyst at the Hungarian Academy of Science.
"I think that with political uncertainty now behind Hungary, the currency can start to catch up with the rally in the Polish zloty and Czech crown," said Tania Kotsos of Royal Bank of Canada.
Some economists expect Gyurcsany to increase the 15-percent VAT rate levied on some goods to 20 percent, a move which would generate around $550 million a year in extra revenue.
Orban suffered his second defeat in three elections since 1998 but said he would stay on as party chief.
Why should Orban resign????
"DIVIDED OPPOSITION
Conceding defeat, opposition leader and former Prime Minister Viktor Orban told supporters: "Those who join forces win and the losers are those who are unable to cooperate."
The election commission projections put the Fidesz party led by Orban on 164 seats and the smaller right-wing Hungarian Democratic Forum, which Fidesz failed to woo, on 11 places after the two rounds of voting. "
This was just another example of the fatal disease of the conservatives, which seems like conservatives the world over, including in the US are unable to learn. They are so busy fighting amongst themselves about who is more conservative, that they don't see the liberals/socialists coming to victory as a result.
The same thing happened with Berlusconi -- the c onservatives were split, the soicalists/communists united and won.
What will happen to the women?
Any leader of main the political party should resign after losing twice in a row. Perhaps somebody else in the Hungarian conservative camp would be more successful.
Hungrary should take a hard look at France and realize there's their Socialist Future.
"Any leader of main the political party should resign after losing twice in a row."
==
I see your point and you are probably right.
It's hard for people to cut the ties to Big Brother. Look at the US...leftist demagogues know which buttons to push to instill fear into people all the time.
Socialism is OK in a homogenous society (Germany is doing generally well under socialism). Big business is corrupt, will sell out the native population anytime and everybody knows it. Socialism is the only antidote to bug business. Socialism only becomes problematic in a multicultural society because racial groups exploit the inevitable class issues to gain power and supress the other groups.
Much of what you say is true.
But it also depends on how socialistic it goes.
Government taking care of the deserving poor is one thing. Government in charge of medicine, housing, business etc. is too much.
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