October 30, 2006

Abstract: - The Hungarian Citizens Party (Fidesz) is holding on to the top position in the European nation's political scene, according to a poll by Gallup Hungary. 32 per cent of respondents would vote for Fidesz in the next legislative election.

- The Hungarian Citizens Party (Fidesz) is holding on to the top position in the European nation's political scene, according to a poll by Gallup Hungary. 32 per cent of respondents would vote for Fidesz in the next legislative election.

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. 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, Gyurcsany introduced a fiscal "austerity package" of state subsidy reductions and tax increases, aimed at lowering the country's fiscal deficit from a projected 10.1 per cent this year, to 3.2 per cent in 2009. The prime minister has said Hungary might adopt the single European currency between 2010 and 2012.

On Sept. 17, Hungary's state radio aired portions of an audiotape—which had been recorded in May—in which Gyurcsany 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. On Sept. 18, a series of anti-government riots in Budapest left 150 people injured, including 102 police officers.

Earlier this month, riots broke out again in the capital during the commemoration of the 1956 revolution. More than 160 people were injured, and property damage was estimated at $950,000 U.S.

On Oct. 27, Gyurcsany discussed the implementation of the solidarity tax—an additional 4.0 per cent levy on corporate profits—declaring, "I'm aware that in the short term the tax hike can have negative consequences, but the solidarity tax will stay, and we cannot grant any exceptions."

Polling Data

If an election were held today, what party would you support?

	Oct. 2006	Aug. 2006	Jul. 2006
Hungarian Citizens Party (Fidesz)	32%	34%	35%
Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP)	23%	23%	21%
Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF)	3%	2%	3%
Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ)	2%	3%	2%

Source: Gallup Hungary
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,008 Hungarian voters, conducted from Oct. 8 to Oct. 12, 2006. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.