© Müller JuditHVG: János Kóka will be debating János Áder on Wednesday. Should it not be you, the leader of the Free Democrat benches, who debates the Fidesz parliamentary leader? Did you back out, or did the energetic economics minister push you aside?
Kuncze: Fidesz wanted to specify when the debate took place, and what it should be about, and they insisted on only speaking with members of the government - with ministers and state secretaries.
If the Free Democrats do badly at the elections and you resign, then Kóka is widely thought a potential successor. Others would like to see him become mayor of Budapest. But Kóka's playboy style has won him enemies within the party, as has his support for competition over solidarity. Is he gaining or losing strength within the party?
He is getting stronger, and I'm glad about that. It is important for there to be young, fresh faces, dynamic, hard-working people who want to get something done. I am glad Kóka wants a party political career. It is hard to say what the proper role of a 34-year-old young man, but if he carries on as he is going now, then I see a great future for him.
Your campaigning poster, "Let my country come," could be offensive to religious people, and it seems to push for selfishness over solidarity.
Many of us think this poster was unfortunate. But I do not believe we offended anyone - people are becoming more sensitive, however.
And what does Pisti Kovács, as featured on your most widespread poster, signal to the voters?
Pisti Kovács is the person who is unaffected by promises of tax cuts, because he does not pay taxes. He does not need a 14th monthly pension, because he is not a pensioner. But everything is about him, since the question is what the country will become in ten or twenty years' time. We want to show people that liberalism, which has become a dirty word for many people, has deep roots in Hungary and the world.
A liberal should be happy if the parliamentary palette remains colourful, and if liberal values are widely shared. Yet you would seem to be working against the conservative-liberal Hungarian Democratic Forum, dismissing the party's leader in ironical terms.
The MDF brought along a bicycle for Pisti Kovács, because the Free Democrats, they say, do not keep their promises. And since Péter Medgyessy said our party was full of corrupt affairs, they were worried that the bicycle would not even get to Pisti Kovács. I should hae said thank you. I said we do not need the bicycle, but we will send a toy kangaroo. Not something it is easy to get hold of. If people criticise the Free Democrats, I will not retreat awkwardly to the corner. I am sorry if the MDF is in a difficult position, but we hope they get in to parliament. We want a multi-party system. A two-party system would be a bad thing.
Though it cannot be ruled out. Your coalition partner, the Socialists, will win far more seats from an extra 5 per cent of the vote than you would. Do you think they will be tempted to move against you?
If the Socialists want to govern, then they will not do this. In 2002 there would have been no change in government if the Free Democrats had not sat in parliament. Now, a change in government might be the direct consequence of our not being in parliament.
