(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – About two-thirds of people in Hungary support the country’s main opposition party, according to a poll by Szonda Ipsos. 68 per cent of respondents—all decided voters—would back the Hungarian Citizens Party (Fidesz) in the next general election, up one point since March.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – About two-thirds of people in Hungary support the country’s main opposition party, according to a poll by Szonda Ipsos. 68 per cent of respondents—all decided voters—would back the Hungarian Citizens Party (Fidesz) in the next general election, up one point since March.
The governing Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) is second with 23 per cent, followed by the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) with three per cent, and the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) with two per cent.
Hungarian voters renewed their National Assembly in April 2006. The MSZP and the SZDSZ secured 210 of the legislative branch’s 386 seats, securing a full term for Socialist prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsany. Fidesz, led by Viktor Orban, elected 164 lawmakers. In June 2006, Gyurcsany introduced a fiscal "austerity package" of state subsidy reductions and tax increases, aimed at lowering the country’s fiscal deficit.
In September 2006, Gyurcsany was criticized after Hungary’s state radio aired portions of an audiotape—which had been recorded in May—in which he told members of the MSZP that his administration "lied throughout the past one and a half or two years" about the state of the country’s economy in order to win re-election. The prime minister’s words sparked a two-week riot that threatened to end his government. Since mid-2007, Fidesz leader Orban has repeatedly called for an early legislative election.
In late April, the SZDSZ abandoned the governing coalition citing "irreconcilable differences" with the Socialists on economic policies. On Apr. 29, after the split was official, Fidesz parliamentary leader Tibor Navracsics urged Gyurcsany to either "call a confidence vote or resign."
Polling Data
If an election were held today, what party would you support? (Decided Voters)
|
Apr. 2008 |
Mar. 2008 |
Feb. 2008 |
|
|
Hungarian Citizens Party (Fidesz) |
68% |
67% |
62% |
|
Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) |
23% |
24% |
28% |
|
Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) |
3% |
3% |
3% |
|
Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) |
2% |
2% |
3% |
Source: Szonda Ipsos
Methodology: Interviews with 1,500 Hungarian adults, conducted from Apr. 17 to Apr. 24, 2008. Margin of error is 2.5 per cent.
