The MSZP caucus decided to hold a party vote over questions submitted by ex-PM Ferenc Gyurcsány and his Democratic Coalition (DK) platform between June 22 and June 28. It is recalled that Gyurcsány and his platform initiated a party vote on 6 points of the party’s statutes after the current leadership of MSZP basically pushed their concept on the statutes aside without due consideration. Apart from restrictions concerning transparency, the proposal of Mr. Gyurcsány and the Democratic Coalition platform embraces other issues as well, such as whether the head of the party should be elected rather directly in the future instead of indirectly via congressional delegates. Another subject of the vote will be whether party rules concerning the disclosure of data on MSZP’s finances should be more stringent than currently required by the law. Members of the Hungarian Socialist Party will also be able to decide on whether party officers should carry out no more than one elected function at the national and county levels in the future. “This party vote means that an important democratic initiative gained sufficient support in order to measure how many active members MSZP has; I mean those who have an opinion about these heated issues within the party, and also to measure how many of them would welcome changes” – explained Mr. Gyurcsány in a break during the Democratic Coalition platform’s session last Saturday. The Socialist politician told with much emphasis “we will make sure that active members will be able to take part in the vote, and we argue that everyone who feels this to be important should come and vote”. In answer to a question he added that “several party leaders have already indicated that they are not going to participate; however, I would rather like to see them calling on the party’s membership to join in the vote because that is the only way one can discern what the majority of MSZP’s active members really want”. The former prime minister also added that “there is a strong hegemonic party in the Right, and it is probable that there will be no run-offs at the next elections three years from now, so anyone who will have only a relative majority will be able to win. Thus, the right thing for us to do is to act together and to make a coordinated attempt to unite all who are in opposition to the Right so much as we can, and to help them run against the Right”. Gyurcsány also told that he not only wanted to hold the Socialist Party together, but he also wanted to grow and develop it. In answer to another question the former party head claimed that “it is a ‘painfully oversimplified’ idea that what is happening right now in the party would be a Gyurcsány vs. Mesterházy or Gyurcsány vs. Puch debate”. “I do not want to be the chairman of MSZP again, nor do I have any personal ambitions to gain control in the Socialist Party”. Finally, he noted that “at this time, it is absolutely senseless to debate over personal questions given that MSZP is not in an electoral period”.

Last Updated on Thursday, 09 June 2011 08:13