On Saturday, László Botka the MSZP candidate for Prime Minister called on PM Orbán as well as former PM Gyurcsány to quit politics. Botka accused both politicians of lying to voters and polarizing the public. Botka also ruled out the possibility of cooperation between the MSZP and Jobbik.

Népszava’s editor-in-chief Péter Németh wonders if Botka was right to explicitly exclude former PM Gyurcsány from the Left coalition. The left-wing columnist welcomes the social democratic vision Botka outlined in his speech, but is sceptical about whether the Left could challenge Orbán without Gyurcsány.

Barring resignation by either Gyurcsány or Botka, there is little hope for a left-wing alliance at the 2018 Parliamentary election, Szabolcs Dull comments on Index. After Botka’s explicit rejection of cooperation with Gyurcsány, the MSZP frontrunner needs to woo the support of left-wing voters on his own to credibly challenge PM Orbán. If he fails to do so and the left-wing parties run separately, they have no chance of winning in 2018, Dull predicts.

Source: BudaPost

This opinion does not necessarily represent the views of this portal. Your opinion articles are welcome too, for review before possible publication, via info@xpatloop.com

MTI photo: Mohai Balázs