seats in parliament and, its allies won another 16 percent. The second largest party, the Alliance of Free Democrats ( Szabad Demokratak Szovetsege, or SZDSZ), won 24 percent. The Alliance of Young Democrats ( Fiatal Demokratak Szovetsege, or Fidesz) received 10 percent of the votes cast.
The president of the MDF, Jozsef Antall (see Antall, Jozsef), formed the new government in coalition with the Smallholders and National Christian Democratic parties. His government had a solid parliamentary majority. In 1991, however, internal disputes undermined the effectiveness of the Antall government. By then, the Hungarian Democratic Forum consisted of three wings with mutually irreconcilable political ideologies and motives. The right wing was led by Istvan Csurka, a populist writer who, in June 1993, admitted to having been an informer of the communist secret police. The center clustered around Antall and his immediate supporters, such as Lajos Fur, the minister of defense, and Sandor Lezsak, the moving force behind the establishment of the MDF. The left, or what was named the liberal wing, was represented by Janos Debreczeni and Istvan Elek. These three strains could not easily get along with each other.
Csurka made the first move to capture the MDF and change its center-right orientation into a radical rightist movement. In August 1992, he published an article in his newspaper Demokrata Forum, in which he demanded that the prime minister institute harsh measures against the oppositional parties and use the police in removing the heads of Hungarian national radio and television, who were considered by him "enemies of the Hungarian people." Csurka also declared that Hungary was allegedly a victim of a century-old Jewish conspiracy, directed from New York and Tel Aviv. This created a storm of criticism, directed at Csurka as well as at Antall, who was unwilling to dissociate his party from the demagogue.
In January 1993, the national representatives of the party met and decided to support Antall against Csurka. In June, Csurka was removed from the leaders (he was vice president of the MDF) as well as from the parliamentary fraction of the party. He formed his own group, named the Hungarian Way, and his followers created the Hungarian Truth party with about ten parliamentary deputies. At the same time, the party rid itself of its liberal wing, expelling Debreczeni and Elek from its membership. All these moves were made with a view to the upcoming elections. The fact is that the Hungarian Democratic Forum has lost much of its appeal among the voters, and it will probably go down to defeat in the next elections in May, 1994.
Oltay Edith, "Hungary: Csurka Launches 'National Movement,'" Radio Free Europe Research Report 2.13 ( March 26, 1993), pp. 25-31; Pataki Judith, "Hungary Makes Slow but Steady Progress," Radio Free Europe Research Report 2.1 ( January 3, 1993), pp. 87-90; -----. "Hungary: Domestic Political Stalemate," Radio Free Europe Research Report 2.1 ( January 1, 1993), pp. 92-95; --, "Hungarian Youth Party Comes of Age," Radio Free Europe Research Report 2.21 ( May 21, 1993), pp. 42-45; Reisch Alfred, "Hungary Pursues Integration with the West," Radio Free Europe Research Report 2.13 ( March 26, 1993), pp. 32-38.
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Questia, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning. www.questia.com
Publication information:
Book title: Dictionary of East European History since 1945.
Contributors: Joseph Held - Author.
Publisher: Greenwood Press.
Place of publication: Westport, CT.
Publication year: 1994.
Page number: 269.
This material is protected by copyright and, with the exception of fair use, may not be further copied, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means.
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