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Figel: Leftists' Ineptitude to Handle Crisis Times Laid Bare in Hungary
Monday 12 April 2010 Zoom in | Print page
Bratislava, April 12 (TASR) - Developments in Hungary have proven that left-wing parties aren't capable of dealing with economic crises... So it's time to wish Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party, which secured a clear win in the general election in Hungary at the weekend, good luck and better success vis-a-vis the economic crisis than his socialist predecessors did, Opposition Christian Democrats (KDH) chairman Jan Figel told a press conference on Monday.
According to Figel, the fact that this year will see parliamentary elections taking place in Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, combined with Poland's presidential election due later this year too, should make for better relations within the Visegrad Four grouping.
"We've had an agreement on good neighbourly relations with Hungary for 15 years, but the good relations are somewhat lagging behind (in reality). It's about time the two countries had European relations, too," asserted Figel, adding that it takes two to have positive relations – and it's now also up to Orban to use his election victory for improving relations with Hungary's neighbours.
"We've committed ourselves to making sure that historical traumas won't place a burden upon our cooperation. However, we won't accept interferences impacting our sovereignty and dissemination of revisionism and extremism," added Figel, an EU Commissioner 2004-09.
Speaking in the wake of a statement made earlier in the day by Slovak National Party (SNS) first deputy chair Anna Belousovova, who urged people not to vote for KDH and SDKU-DS parties due to what she called their "collaboration with (ethnic-Hungarian) SMK party," Figel said that the decision as to whom to vote should be left up to people.
"Voters can now compare the period when KDH was in power with the period when the party around Mrs. Belousovova is now in power. That Slovakia is an ally of the modern world, EU and NATO is our (KDH's and SDKU-DS's) hallmark," said Figel.
Turning to the 16.7-percent election score of Hungary's far-right Movement for a Better Hungary (aka Jobbik), Figel cautioned that "this is a challenge for the other political parties – Fidesz in particular – to deal with this reality.
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