Hungarian Socialist Party
Encyclopedia
The Hungarian Socialist Party describes itself as a social democratic
party in Hungary
. It is the partial successor of the communist
Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
(or MSZMP), which ruled Hungary between 1956 and 1989. The decision to declare the party a successor of the MSZMP was controversial, and still carries repercussions for both the MSZP and Hungary. Another source of controversy is that some members of the former communist elite maintained political influence in the MSZP, a factor which is still true today. Indeed, many key MSZP politicians were active members or held leadership positions within the MSZMP. The party is not to be confused with the Workers' Party, a marginal party of hardline communists and another successor to the MSZMP.
On economic issues, the Socialists have often been greater advocates of liberal
, free market
policies than the conservative opposition, which has tended to favor more state interventionism in the economy through economic and price regulations, as well as through state ownership of key economic enterprises. The MSZP, in contrast, implemented a strong package of market reforms, austerity and privatization
in 1995-96, when Hungary faced an economic and financial crisis. Besides a more liberal approach to the economy overall, the MSZP also differentiates itself from the conservative opposition through its more recent focus on transforming state social policy from a collection of measures that benefit the entire population, such as subsidies available to all citizens, to one based on financial and social need.
In political terms, the MSZP differentiates itself from its conservative opponents mainly in its rejection of nationalism
. The party, along with its minority liberal partner in the governing coalition, campaigned against extending Hungarian citizenship to ethnic Hungarians living in neighboring countries in a December 5, 2004 referendum. The referendum failed due to insufficient voter turnout, but tensions remain over the fate of Hungarian minorities abroad, which in some countries have faced hostility or even a degree of persecution at the hands of majority cultures, particularly when nationalist or populist governments have been in power in those countries.
The party is a member of the Socialist International
and the Party of European Socialists
, and it holds a chairmanship and several vice-chairmanships in committees at the European Parliament
). Internally, party members hold a variety of opinions, containing rival groups, e.g. factions both for and against the prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsány
.
Besides Gyurcsány, the MSZP's most internationally recognized politicians are Gyula Horn
and László Kovács, currently member of the European Commission
responsible for taxation.
At the 2006 elections
, MSZP won with 43.2% of party list votes, which gave it 190 representatives out of 386 in the Parliament
. The MSZP was therefore able to retain its coalition government from the previous term. In earlier elections, the MSZP polled 10.89% (1990), 32.98% (1994), 32.92% (1998) and 42.05% (2002). The current surveys show, that the MSZP has 20%.
MSZP formed the first minority government
of Hungary, following the SZDSZ's backing out of the coalition with a deadline of May 1, 2008.
MSZP lost the 2010 elections
(won by Fidesz with a 2/3 majority), gaining only 19,3% of the votes, and 58 seats in the parliament. Currently, they are the biggest opposition party in Hungary.
Katalin Szili
, a former Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary formed the Movement of Alliance for the Future in 2010 and had own candidates in some areas in the 2010 Hungarian parliamentary election
. Szili was elected to the Parliament of Hungary via the Baranya County Party list where she was chairperson of the local MSZP chapter. After the 2010 local elections, held on the 3rd of October, she founded the Social Union
and became its first chairperson. As a result, she quit the Hungarian Socialist Party and their parliamentarian group. Continuing the parliamentarian work as formally independent MP.
On 22 October 2011 Ferenc Gyurcsány
has announced he is leaving the Socialist Party and will set up a new parliamentary group after succeeding in persuading the necessary number of lawmakers to join him. The new Democratic Coalition party is to be a “Western, civic centre-left” formation with ten lawmakers, Gyurcsány announced on the first anniversary that its forerunner, the Democratic Coalition Platform, was set up.
Deputy chairman:
Vice chairmen:
Most if not all districts shown in dark red and red also voted for MSZP in 1994, a landslide victory for the party. So actually, dark red districts have an even longer uninterrupted voting history of supporting MSZP.
Social democracy
Social democracy is a political ideology of the center-left on the political spectrum. Social democracy is officially a form of evolutionary reformist socialism. It supports class collaboration as the course to achieve socialism...
party in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
. It is the partial successor of the communist
Communism
Communism is a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of a classless, moneyless, revolutionary and stateless socialist society structured upon common ownership of the means of production...
Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party
The Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party was the ruling Marxist–Leninist party of Hungary between 1956 and 1989. It was organised from elements of the Hungarian Working People's Party during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution...
(or MSZMP), which ruled Hungary between 1956 and 1989. The decision to declare the party a successor of the MSZMP was controversial, and still carries repercussions for both the MSZP and Hungary. Another source of controversy is that some members of the former communist elite maintained political influence in the MSZP, a factor which is still true today. Indeed, many key MSZP politicians were active members or held leadership positions within the MSZMP. The party is not to be confused with the Workers' Party, a marginal party of hardline communists and another successor to the MSZMP.
On economic issues, the Socialists have often been greater advocates of liberal
Economic liberalism
Economic liberalism is the ideological belief in giving all people economic freedom, and as such granting people with more basis to control their own lives and make their own mistakes. It is an economic philosophy that supports and promotes individual liberty and choice in economic matters and...
, free market
Free market
A free market is a competitive market where prices are determined by supply and demand. However, the term is also commonly used for markets in which economic intervention and regulation by the state is limited to tax collection, and enforcement of private ownership and contracts...
policies than the conservative opposition, which has tended to favor more state interventionism in the economy through economic and price regulations, as well as through state ownership of key economic enterprises. The MSZP, in contrast, implemented a strong package of market reforms, austerity and privatization
Privatization
Privatization is the incidence or process of transferring ownership of a business, enterprise, agency or public service from the public sector to the private sector or to private non-profit organizations...
in 1995-96, when Hungary faced an economic and financial crisis. Besides a more liberal approach to the economy overall, the MSZP also differentiates itself from the conservative opposition through its more recent focus on transforming state social policy from a collection of measures that benefit the entire population, such as subsidies available to all citizens, to one based on financial and social need.
In political terms, the MSZP differentiates itself from its conservative opponents mainly in its rejection of nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
. The party, along with its minority liberal partner in the governing coalition, campaigned against extending Hungarian citizenship to ethnic Hungarians living in neighboring countries in a December 5, 2004 referendum. The referendum failed due to insufficient voter turnout, but tensions remain over the fate of Hungarian minorities abroad, which in some countries have faced hostility or even a degree of persecution at the hands of majority cultures, particularly when nationalist or populist governments have been in power in those countries.
The party is a member of the Socialist International
Socialist International
The Socialist International is a worldwide organization of democratic socialist, social democratic and labour political parties. It was formed in 1951.- History :...
and the Party of European Socialists
Party of European Socialists
The Party of European Socialists is a European political party led by Sergei Stanishev, former Prime Minister of Bulgaria. The PES comprises social-democratic national-level political parties primarily from Member state of the European Union, as well as other nations of the European continent. The...
, and it holds a chairmanship and several vice-chairmanships in committees at the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
). Internally, party members hold a variety of opinions, containing rival groups, e.g. factions both for and against the prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsány
Ferenc Gyurcsány
Ferenc Gyurcsány is a Hungarian politician. He was the sixth Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009.He was nominated to take that position on 25 August 2004 by the Hungarian Socialist Party , after Péter Medgyessy resigned due to a conflict with the Socialist Party's coalition partner...
.
Besides Gyurcsány, the MSZP's most internationally recognized politicians are Gyula Horn
Gyula Horn
Gyula Horn is a Hungarian politician and the third Prime Minister of the Republic of Hungary, from 1994–1998....
and László Kovács, currently member of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
responsible for taxation.
At the 2006 elections
Hungarian parliamentary election, 2006
The schedule of the 2006 Hungarian parliamentary elections, as announced by president László Sólyom was as follows:* first round on April 9, 2006* second round on April 23, 2006...
, MSZP won with 43.2% of party list votes, which gave it 190 representatives out of 386 in the Parliament
National Assembly of Hungary
The National Assembly or Diet is the parliament of Hungary. The unicameral body consists of 386 members elected to 4-year terms. Election of members is based on a complex system involving both area and list election; parties must win at least 5% of the popular vote in order to enter list members...
. The MSZP was therefore able to retain its coalition government from the previous term. In earlier elections, the MSZP polled 10.89% (1990), 32.98% (1994), 32.92% (1998) and 42.05% (2002). The current surveys show, that the MSZP has 20%.
MSZP formed the first minority government
Minority government
A minority government or a minority cabinet is a cabinet of a parliamentary system formed when a political party or coalition of parties does not have a majority of overall seats in the parliament but is sworn into government to break a Hung Parliament election result. It is also known as a...
of Hungary, following the SZDSZ's backing out of the coalition with a deadline of May 1, 2008.
MSZP lost the 2010 elections
Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010
A parliamentary election was held in Hungary on 11 and 25 April 2010 to choose MPs for the National Assembly. They were the sixth free elections since the end of communist era. The 386 members of parliament were elected in a combined system of party lists and electoral constituencies...
(won by Fidesz with a 2/3 majority), gaining only 19,3% of the votes, and 58 seats in the parliament. Currently, they are the biggest opposition party in Hungary.
Katalin Szili
Katalin Szili
Katalin Szili was the Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary, a post to which she was elected on May 15, 2002. After obtaining a degree in law at Janus Pannonius University, she completed majors in human ecology and political science. She has been a legislator since 1994...
, a former Speaker of the National Assembly of Hungary formed the Movement of Alliance for the Future in 2010 and had own candidates in some areas in the 2010 Hungarian parliamentary election
Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010
A parliamentary election was held in Hungary on 11 and 25 April 2010 to choose MPs for the National Assembly. They were the sixth free elections since the end of communist era. The 386 members of parliament were elected in a combined system of party lists and electoral constituencies...
. Szili was elected to the Parliament of Hungary via the Baranya County Party list where she was chairperson of the local MSZP chapter. After the 2010 local elections, held on the 3rd of October, she founded the Social Union
Social Union (Hungary)
The Social Union , abbreviated to SZU, is a centre-left political party in Hungary. It has a traditionalism and social democratic ideology.-Establishment:...
and became its first chairperson. As a result, she quit the Hungarian Socialist Party and their parliamentarian group. Continuing the parliamentarian work as formally independent MP.
On 22 October 2011 Ferenc Gyurcsány
Ferenc Gyurcsány
Ferenc Gyurcsány is a Hungarian politician. He was the sixth Prime Minister of Hungary from 2004 to 2009.He was nominated to take that position on 25 August 2004 by the Hungarian Socialist Party , after Péter Medgyessy resigned due to a conflict with the Socialist Party's coalition partner...
has announced he is leaving the Socialist Party and will set up a new parliamentary group after succeeding in persuading the necessary number of lawmakers to join him. The new Democratic Coalition party is to be a “Western, civic centre-left” formation with ten lawmakers, Gyurcsány announced on the first anniversary that its forerunner, the Democratic Coalition Platform, was set up.
Parliamentary representation
| Year | Seat percentage | Seats | Popular votes | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 8.55% | 33 | 419,152 | opposition |
| 1994 | 54.1% | 209 | 2,921,039 | government |
| 1998 | 34.7% | 134 | 1,497,231 | opposition |
| 2002 | 46.11% | 178 | 2,361,997 | government |
| 2006 | 49.22% | 190 | 2,336,705 | government |
| 2010 | 19.3% | 58 | 990,428 | opposition |
Leaders
Chairman:- Attila MesterházyAttila MesterházyAttila Mesterházy is a Hungarian politician, chairman of the Hungarian Socialist Party since 10 July 2010. He was the party's candidate for the position of Prime Minister of Hungary in the Hungarian parliamentary election, 2010.-Biography:Mesterházy was born in 1974 in Pécs...
Deputy chairman:
- András BaloghAndrás BaloghAndrás Balogh is a Hungarian historian and diplomat, the current ambassador to Thailand. His party, the Hungarian Socialist Party nominated him to the position of President of Hungary in 2010...
Vice chairmen:
- László Kovács
- Tamás Szabadkai
Single Member Constituencies Voting Consistently for MSZP
The image shows Single Member Constituencies (or SMCs) voting for MSZP in 1998, 2002, 2006 in dark red, while showing SMCs voting for MSZP in 2002 and 2006 in red. The dark red districts are considered the strongest positions of the party.Most if not all districts shown in dark red and red also voted for MSZP in 1994, a landslide victory for the party. So actually, dark red districts have an even longer uninterrupted voting history of supporting MSZP.