Analyst: Hungary Ruling Parties’ Popularity Unmatched In Europe
- 30 May 2016 9:00 AM
The ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrat alliance has managed to retain its high approval ratings in the years following the election unlike any other governing party in Europe, an analyst of the Nézőpont Institute said on Sunday. Dániel Deák told public news channel M1 that Hungary’s current governing alliance has kept a firm grip on public opinion polls for nearly ten years now, as the leftist parties have been unable to get a message across to the public that could shape the country’s long-term political discourse.
The law on Sunday shopping restrictions was a central topic for the Socialist Party for several months, but with the legislation now repealed, the party has been unable to find an issue it can focus on the way it did on the shopping law, Deák said.
He said this could be due to ongoing tensions within the party, which is preventing the Socialists from being consistent in their communication.
On the topic of the recent tenth anniversary of ex-premier Ferenc Gyurcsány’s infamous speech to a closed event of the Socialist Party in Balatonöszöd, in which he admitted to lying about the state of the economy to win the election, Deák said the DK leader is still viewed unfavourably by about two-thirds of voters.
Regarding the radical nationalist Jobbik party, he said Előd Novák being “forced out” of the party’s top ranks, could lead to Jobbik eventually having to deal with the kinds of conflicts that have plagued the leftist parties in recent years.
Source: www.hungarymatters.hu
Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.
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