2006. március. 04. 13:08 2006. március. 08. 15:25 English version

Major political scandal in Hungary

A political scandal could influence the outcome of Hungary’s national election slated for April 8, 2006. The relatively small, right of center Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) released a transcript of a taped conversation: Fidesz MP Zoltán Bagó used a mixture of threats and promises to make rival candidate Imre Romsics of MDF withdraw from the campaign and thus increase the chances of the largest opposition party. Fidesz immediately withdraw the candidacy of Bago, and Fidesz leader Orban apologized to Ms. Ibolya David, president of MDF. David didn’t except the apology.

Both Mr Bagó and Mr Romsics are standing for parliament in the constituency of Kalocsa in April, the latter as an unaffiliated candidate, and both have collected the signatures necessary to do so.

At a press conference, the MDF announced that the Fidesz MP had tried to blackmail Romsics into withdrawing. A secret recording of the conversation was played at the press conference. The recording was made a day after Bagó had issued a 24 hour ultimatum for Romsics to withdraw. Bagó told Romsics, director of the museum in Kalocsa that Fidesz would help him in his professional career. If he failed to cooperate there would be consequences, he added. .

The Fidesz MP compared his party to a company in the recording. "Since 2002, since the party became an alliance, we have been trying to convert to a corporate-style way of working, with management, independent decision-taking capacity, an independent budget, and independent competences," said Bagó on the recording. The Fidesz candidate said he had received instructions from the party leadership. "I am only interested in one thing, the thing I was given responsibility for in the party's management structure...the numbers, the gains, the profit - if you like, I need to deliver. The governing board gave me instructions. I am to negotiate with the partners, the suppliers, the business contacts and it will be the final result that counts. The results count for both me and the partners. They can pay dividends if the company is profitable. It works the same for us, if we win the elections nationally, and on a county level, then there will be concrete results. If we do not, then there won't be," said Bagó on the recording.

On Saturday, one day after the scandal surfaced, Ibolya David , MDF President told the party’s rally in Budapest: the party received reports of several dozen similar cases. MDF candidates have been blackmailed, threatened, in some cases were offered career support in case they withdraw their candidacy and help Fidesz to win the election and form the next government. It is clear that those action have been coordinated from the tpop echelon of Fidesz – Ibolya David pointed out.

2006. március. 01. 16:15 hvg.hu English version

The MSZP Campaign Conference

The Socialist Party conference has the task of assembling an electoral list and nominating a prime ministerial candidate. The event is a pure formality, since the Socialists have no choice other than Ferenc Gyurcsány.

2006. március. 03. 15:56 HVG English version

Finally

It took more than political will. Hungary had to pay to recover the books that were taken from Budapest by Soviet soldiers at the end of WWII.

2006. március. 01. 16:22 HVG English version

Portrait of Péter Szigeti

2006. március. 01. 16:11 hvg.hu English version

Outperforming

Shareholders in the FHB Land and Mortgage Bank were content until last week to watch their investment grow three and a half times over two years, outperforming not only the stock market index but OTP too.

2006. március. 03. 15:51 hvg.hu English version

Traditional churches and the government

Relations between the Socialist-Liberal government and the traditional churches have never been easy, but at the end of its term, the Gyurcsány government is planning a spectacular gesture: it plans to decide on the issues relating to properties formerly in church hands as early as this month.

2006. március. 03. 15:10 hvg.hu English version

A survey of nationalities policy

The number of Hungarians in neighbouring countries is declining continuously. This is a sign of Hungarian politicians' failures, since the one thing they all agree on is that Hungarians abroad should be helped to survive in the place of their birth.