"The special convention of the Free Democrats yesterday decided by a vast majority – 84% of the delegates – to leave the coalition as of April 30. While 434 representatives voted in favour of breaking up the coalition, 53 others voted against it and 32 abstained.Delegates voted down by the same margin a proposal from the Győr delegates that a decision on the coalition be made in September, following the election of a new party chairman. Some 200 fewer representatives were present than were listed on the delegates register, thus the number of votes was scarcely 60 higher than the minimum required, Népszabadság observes.
Party chairman János Kóka took this to mean that the delegates opted for an independent and constructive liberal policy, noting that his party does not have a vested interest in seeing the cabinet fall and early elections materialise. He called for an “internal coalition” with party rival Gábor Fodor and proposed a new liberal coalition. Kóka vowed to establish an election cabinet in anticipation of early elections.
Kóka conceded that the poor functioning of the coalition led to the break up, rather than the dismissal of Health Minister Ágnes Horváth, Magyar Hírlap reports. Former party chairmen Gábor Kuncze, Bálint Magyar and Iván Pető were present, but none made speeches."
Source: Hungary Around the Clock.
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28.04.2008