Ferenc Baja, who heads the party’s Socialist Platform, noted that political cooperation with other leftwing forces had not brought about the desired results. They had failed to unseat the government headed by Viktor Orbán and had also failed to capture the traditionally leftliberal stronghold of Budapest in the recent local elections, he recalled.

The Socialists must offer a standalone alternative for society in the next few years, he said, repeating a recent slogan uttered by the party’s leader, József Tóbiás: “There is a left-wing party, and it’s called the Socialist Party”.

What the Socialists must change, however, is that it should not only function as a party but as a social alterative, Baja added. What Sunday’s local election has shown is that the Socialists remain the determining force on the left, he said.

Dénes Koltai, leader of the Left- Wing Bloc platform, said it was inconceivable that the party would merge with another political force before the 2018 general election, though he could imagine dialogue and a “certain coordination”.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

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