Mesterhazy expects left-wing victory at election

Budapest, April 5 (MTI) – The prime minister candidate of the left-wing alliance, Attila Mesterhazy, said in an interview published in Saturday’s daily Nepszabadsag that he was certain his alliance for a “change in government” would win Sunday’s general election.

“The mood is for a change of government,” Mesterhazy, who leads the Socialist Party, said. “We will replace the government.”

Mesterhazy said he was certain there would be election cheating.

“Even now, we know of addresses from where more than a hundred people registered to vote in a short time. It is easy to see there are many out there who plan to cheat, or one could say abuse the peculiarities of the system. One thing should be made clear: the election can only be rigged from a position of power,” he said.

Mesterhazy added that a high turnout would be important, partly because it would make it harder to influence the final results in a fraudulent way.

He said he had a political contingency plan in case the government handover did not go smoothly. As prime minister, Mesterhazy said he would have several means at his disposal to handle such a situation, adding that these would not initially involve law enforcement.

Mesterhazy said he planned to become a prime minister for all Hungarians and would not exclude anyone. He added that he wanted to build a country in which even those who do not support him would find peace. He said he believed in politics that involves making gestures to each other and seeking dialogue. All important social issues need to be solved by seeking a consensus or at least reaching a compromise, he added.

There are issues where a political, social and political consensus is needed at the same time, such as reform of the pension system, Mesterhazy said.

He said he wanted a better structured government in which ministries would be dedicated to particular areas such as health and finance. Mesterhazy said he was planning to set up a coalition government, but its list of ministers is not yet final.

It would be worth starting a new process to amend the constitution, even if his prospective government failed to garner a two thirds majority.

The agreement with Russia on the expansion of the Paks nuclear power station must be renegotiated and a decision made in a “slower, more patient and wiser” manner, Mesterhazy said.

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Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters