Hungary's center-right opposition parties made substantial gains in nationwide elections on Sunday, following two weeks of protests over Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany's admission that he lied about the economy.
Shortly after the polls closed in the municipal elections, Hungary's president made a broadcast speech in which he accused Gyurcsany of undermining trust in democracy and appeared to suggest parliament should replace him.
But the Socialist prime minister, who has resisted weeks of demands that he step down, vowed on Sunday to continue reforms and austerity measures despite the electoral setback for the coalition parties.
"I would like to remain the prime minister who continues these policies," Gyurcsany said, adding that the leader of the Socialists' coalition partner, the Alliance of Free Democrats, assured him of their support.
He had said he wanted to run for chairmanship of his party early next year but, asked on Sunday about that plan, he said, "Everything has to be rethought."
The elections were seen as a chance for voters to judge the government after the leak of a tape on which Gyurcsany admitted repeatedly lying to the country about the economy.
Two days of riots two weeks ago -- attributed mainly to soccer hooligans but seemingly rooted in the anti-government mood -- left nearly 150 police and dozens of participants injured.
Large crowds of protesters have demonstrated peacefully since then. And at least 10,000 people were outside parliament on Sunday night, demanding Gyurcsany's resign.
The National Election Office said the turnout of 53 percent on Sunday was Hungary's highest for municipal elections since 1990 return to democracy. The previous record was 51 percent in 2002.
According to preliminary results released by the election office, with some 88 percent of the votes counted, the opposition Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Union seemed poised to win the mayorships in at least 15 of Hungary's 23 largest cities, as well majorities in the county councils in 18 of the 19 counties.
The election office said nearly definitive results were expected by yesterday afternoon.
Socialists were seen retaining power in most of Budapest's 23 districts and Budapest Mayor Gabor Demszky -- supported by the two-party government coalition -- was likely to win his fifth consecutive term since the 1990 return to democracy.
Fidesz leader Viktor Orban said the results demonstrated that citizens had voted for Gyurcsany's ouster.
"Hungarian voters tonight have replaced the prime minister in office," Orban said at his party's headquarters.
"We call on the Socialist Party to refrain from going against the will of the people and to carry out the voters' decision," he added.
‘IN A DIFFERENT PLACE’: The envoy first visited Shanghai, where he attended a Chinese basketball playoff match, and is to meet top officials in Beijing tomorrow US Secretary of State Antony Blinken yesterday arrived in China on his second visit in a year as the US ramps up pressure on its rival over its support for Russia while also seeking to manage tensions with Beijing. The US diplomat tomorrow is to meet China’s top brass in Beijing, where he is also expected to plead for restraint as Taiwan inaugurates president-elect William Lai (賴清德), and to raise US concerns on Chinese trade practices. However, Blinken is also seeking to stabilize ties, with tensions between the world’s two largest economies easing since his previous visit in June last year. At the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
Beijing is continuing to commit genocide and crimes against humanity against Uyghurs and other Muslim minorities in its western Xinjiang province, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a report published on Monday, ahead of his planned visit to China this week. The State Department’s annual human rights report, which documents abuses recorded all over the world during the previous calendar year, repeated language from previous years on the treatment of Muslims in Xinjiang, but the publication raises the issue ahead of delicate talks, including on the war in Ukraine and global trade, between the top U.S. diplomat and Chinese