William Penn Life, 2002 (37. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
2002-06-01 / 6. szám
Medgyessy named prime minister as new government alliance takes control from The Budapest Sun BUDAPEST -- The Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) together with the Association of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) officially took over the reins of Hungary's government on May 27, replacing the center-right Fidesz - Hungarian Democratic Forum (Fidesz-MDF) coalition which gained power in 1998. This followed the official signing of the parties' coalition agreement by Hungary's new Prime Minister Péter Medgyessy, MSZP President László Kovács and SZDSZ leader Gábor Kuncze. "We can now implement our joint program with its three core concepts: Higher living standards, modernization and the strengthening of democracy," Medgyessy said. Kuncze added, "This coalition is an opportunity for human rights and democratic institutions to be strengthened." The MSZP-SZDSZ Government program was officially endorsed in a house vote in Parliament May 27, despite rejection by the Fidesz and MDF opposition. The vote was 197 in favor, 178 against and one abstention. Fidesz Deputy Chairman and ex- Minister for Youth and Sports Tamás Deutsch said the MSZP-SZDSZ program differed in "a thousand BUDAPEST — As a new government was taking power, outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and a group of 16 prominent right-wing intellectuals formed their so-called "Alliance for the Nation" under the auspices of Orbán's recent drive for Fidesz supporters to form their own "civic" groups. Fidesz said more than 5,000 groups had already been established. Orbán said he expected the new movement to be generally known as Hajrá Magyarország (Go Hungary) and added that it represented the ability of the public to demonstrate its will more often than merely at general ways" from the MSZP's election campaign promises and described Medgyessy as "incompetent" and therefore unsuitable as prime minister. Medgyessy outlined the incoming administration's program to Parliament on May 24 and said his government's highest priority task would be to raise the standard of living in Hungary, which will be brought about by further economic growth, which he projected at six percent. The new premier also promised a slowing of inflation and the creation of 300,000 to 400,000 new jobs. The 100-day program Medgyessy presented during the election campaign would also go ahead as planned, he added, with families receiving a triple payment of family allowance in August and pensioners receiving a single additional payment of Ftl9,000 ($72). Medgyessy added that the salaries of teachers, civil servants and healthcare workers would be raised by 50 percent within the 100 day period. Fidesz President Zoltán Pokorni responded to Medgyessy's program by accusing Medgyessy of continuing the "libelous" rhetoric of the election campaign. elections once every four years. The movement announced that it planned to form a "second media" consisting of Fidesz-friendly publications, and Orbán called on the public to do their bit by subscribing to the right-wing daily newspaper Magyar Nemzet and the weekly political magazines Magyar Demokrata and Heti Válasz. Orbán said he does not rule out the possibility of staging demonstrations outside Hungarian Television and Hungarian Radio if the new government drives those institutions to bankruptcy. Time remains to join tour to Hungary EAST BRUNSWICK, NJ - Unsure of your vacation plans this year? Why not reserve a spot on the “Autumn in Vienna and Hungary” tour sponsored by the WPA? The i 4-day/12-night tour will be conducted Sept. 18 to Oct. I. Cost is $2,999 per person based on double occupancy. The tour includes two nights in Vienna, five nights in Budapest and visits to Sopron, Herend, Lake Balaton, Héviz, Debrecen, Eger and other locales. For more information and reservations, call Travel Reservations, Inc., at 1-800-799-7999 or log onto www.travelreservations.com. Climber tops Everest BUDAPEST — Mountaineer Zsolt Eröss, 34, became the first Hungarian to successfully climb Mount Everest, reaching the summit of the 8,848-meter peak via the southern route on May 25.The Hungarian expedition, which consisted of Eröss, László Várkonyi, Zoltán Ács, László Mécs and László Mezey, planned to reach the top without the use of oxygen or local Sherpa guides and spent more than a month on the lower slopes of the world’s highest mountain preparing for the final assault on the summit. Várkonyi managed to reach 8,750 meters and then Eröss, who decided to use bottled oxygen, made the final ascent to the highest point on Earth. Send your Hungarian news to: John E. Lovász, William Penn Association, 709 Brighton Road,Pittsburgh, PA 15233. Our email address is: jlovasz@williampennassociation.org Orbán joins new ‘Alliance for the Nation’ William Penn Life, June 2002 17
