With the flags of the nation and the European Union behind his back, Ferenc Gyurcsány held his annual speech on the state of the country under the slogan 'New Republic' in Corinthia Grand Hotel Royal. The speech of the former socialist prime minister brought novelties both in its outward appearance and its content. In front of an audience of about four hundred invited guests, Gyurcsány sharply criticised the autocratic style of  Orbán and he distanced himself from it. According to the former PM, Orbán wants autocracy: "He doesn't want democratic political intercourse, but an all-out war. He doesn't want to win, but to subjugate and humiliate." Gyurcsány justified his allegations by pointing out the fact that Orbán abolished the constitutional checks and balances , and, with that, the Third Republic as well. "It is the duty of every democratically minded people to unite and replace this government. From now on, we aren't the opposition of the government, but that of the autocratic regime of Orbán. It is our duty to take back our stolen republic." Gyurcsány also touched upon the government's foreign policy, saying that never has Hungary been so isolated on the international scene since 1956. "The president of the EU is being ignored, and the postponment of the Eastern Partnership Summit, which would have been the highlight of the Hungarian presidency, is a brutal and humiliating political defeat." Responding to Orbán's claim in which the prime minister said that he did not let the EU wipe the floor up with Hungary, Gyurcsány said that the only possibility is that Orbán himself was wiped up with the floor. Gyurcsány also mentioned the ongoing cultural fight and the politics of revenge against the director of the National Theatre and renowned philosophers. "Hands off the philosophers"!-exclaimed Gyurcsány, referring, amongst others, to Ágnes Heller and Sándor Radnóti, whose names have been dragged through the mud. The former prime minister said the MSZP also needs to go through a process of renewal, urging cooperation with the democratic forces of the country. "Instead of fragmenting the Left further, we need to strengthen the MSZP. We need to establish a new, patriotic, democratic, European party. Just as in 1989, 2012 should be the year in which we renew the MSZP and establish the democratic opposition to Orbán's autocratic rule", he suggested.

The leader of the Socialist Party, Attila Mesterházy, told journalists that he was not surprised by the contents of Gyurcsány's speech. He added that he meant this in a positive sense, and his vision, as regards the future of the country, is similar to that of the former prime minister. Mesterházy also told reporters that László Puch, the director of the party, was acting without the party's knowledge when he was making disparaging allegations about the Democratic Coalition. "I would have discouraged him from making those allegations , had I known his intentions".-he added. (MTI)

Last Updated on Friday, 04 March 2011 20:27