Attila Mesterházy remains president of MSZP (Hungarian Socialist Party) as the congress of the socialists, held over the weekend, confirmed him in his position for the next two years. The challenger Tibor Szanyi accused the party of being policy driven and, according to him, Mesterházy will not bring changes as expected by the membership. Mesterházy declared in his victory speech that he wanted the membership to be alongside with him instead of behind him. As an example he mentioned Gyula Horn, who managed to turn MSZP into a winning party back in the 90’s. It is the task of Mesterházy to change MSZP into a power that is able to govern, said Attila Juhász, analyst of Political Capital of the tasks that Mesterházy faces.

In order for this to happen, the party needs to be reorganized; not only structurally but also in terms of its professional capabilities and in image. The task is difficult as the party’s credibility is not fully restored yet, even though former party president and prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány left. On top of that the rivalry between MSZP and the Democratic Coalition (Gyurcsány’s party) is not over yet. The socialists have to watch carefully and ensure that the hesitant voter base is not hunted down by the Democratic Coalition.
Source: Blikk.hu