Orbán’s party: Gyurcsány is behind the candidate who overthrew Gyurcsány’s wife

Hungary’s ruling Fidesz is making changes to its anti-Gyurcsány signature drive launched in September to put more focus on Peter Marki-Zay, Máté Kocsis, the party’s group leader has said.

Supported by the six opposition parties, Márki-Zay, the mayor of Hódmezővásárhely, won on Sunday the prime ministerial primary in the campaign leading up to next spring’s general election. (Here is the final result: Márki-Zay wins opposition primary)

Going forward, Fidesz’s petition will be called “Stop Gyurcsány! Stop Márki-Zay!”, Kocsis said in a Facebook post on Monday.

“It has been decided that Péter Márki-Zay will be the one on the back of whom [Democratic Coalition leader] Ferenc Gyurcsány will try to get back into power,” he said.

The opposition’s recent statements make it clear that they want to govern together, “which is no surprise, given that the PM candidate can’t do anything without the support of the largest parliamentary group, which is ruled by [former Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc] Gyurcsany”, he said.

“After [Budapest Mayor] Gergely Karácsony’s campaign failed, he was replaced by Márki-Zay, but their left-wing policies remained,” Kocsis said. He said Gyurcsány and the Democratic Coalition had increased their influence on the left, adding that “everyone remembers that when they are in power taxes and utility prices are raised, family benefits are scrapped, pensions are cut, unemployment rises and wages decrease.”

Kocsis said

Márki-Zay “has neither the opportunity nor the intention to cleanse politics of Gyurcsanyism”.

Fidesz is therefore continuing its signature drive, “and we must stop them”, he said.

Read alsoOpposition pledges to put universities under state control in 2022