Opposition Együtt elects new leader, backs Majtényi’s nomination for president – UPDATE

Budapest – The opposition Együtt party elected Péter Juhász its leader at a delegates’ assembly in Budapest on Saturday.

The other candidate for the post was Zsuzsanna Szelényi while Viktor Szigetvári, the current leader, withdrew his candidacy.

Juhász has been elected for a two-year term, the party told MTI.

The delegates also decided that Együtt would nominate former ombudsman László Majtényi for president of the republic.

They praised Majtényi’s merits in protecting constitutionality and fighting against corruption since Hungary’s transition to democracy in 1989-1990.

New Együtt leader pledges “positive alternative”

The opposition Együtt party will offer a “realistic, eligible and positive alternative” to voters at next year’s elections, the party’s recently elected leader told a press conference on Sunday.

Péter Juhász said that Együtt was committed to building a community which not only will clear the parliamentary threshold (of 5 percent of the votes) but become a “dominant political factor”.

Juhász said his party had a strong organisational background and voiced hope that it could field a candidate in each of Hungary’s 106 constituencies in the 2018 vote. He said Együtt’s mission was to “act as leaven” and promote cooperation between civil groups, parties and other communities supporting “democracy, rule of law and market economy”.

Former chair Viktor Szigetvári said that Egyutt would continue working to build a country in which “poverty is combatted and which spends appropriate amounts on education”. He added that as head of the party’s national council, he would help the organisation develop its regional chapters.

Source: MTI