The decision struck the final blow to MSZP prime ministerial candidate László Botka’s planned electoral alliance with DK, Politics Can Be Different (LMP), Momentum, Together (Együtt), the Liberals and Dialogue for Hungary (PM) in which DK would have received 17 percent of the spaces on a common party list.

DK has also decided to stick to Ferenc Gyurcsány’s idea of coordinating with other opposition parties (excluding Jobbik) to run only one “democratic opposition candidate” in each constituency. In the statement in which the party announced its decision, DK also seized the opportunity to criticize MSZP: “DK, unfortunately, cannot follow the changes in the standpoints of MSZP regarding the electoral cooperation of the democratic opposition. What we see, however, is that in many cases it does not concur with our opinion or with our culture, and in our opinion it contradicts the interests of the democratic opposition and of a hoped-for new republic. We are sorry.”

Despite this, MSZP still insists on running a common list with other opposition parties. The party released a statement in which they reacted to DK’s decision: “Ferenc Gyurcsány and his party the Democratic Coalition have not spoken about anything else for years but the necessity of cooperation. Nonetheless, Ferenc Gyurcsány announced today that he turns his back to opposition negotiations and launches an individual party list in the 2018 elections. In MSZP’s opinion, the ousting of the Fidesz government which has plundered the country requires a common prime ministerial candidate, a common opposition party list and a sole opposition candidate in all 106 constituencies facing the candidates of the two far-right parties, Fidesz and Jobbik.”

Unless the National Assembly miraculously passes an election reform resolution that was signed by eight opposition parties and would transform the current majority electoral system into a proportional one, Viktor Orbán can be as confident as ever that he will remain in power in 2018.

Source: The Budapest Beacon

Republished with permission