HTTP://WWW.STOPNATO.ORG.UK ---------------------------FACTBOX-Parties, people, policies in Hungary's elections
BUDAPEST, April 5 (Reuters) - Hungarians vote on Sunday in the first round of two-round national elections to choose a new parliament for a four-year term during which Hungary is expected to join the European Union.
A decisive second round in what will be the country's fourth free general election since the 1989 fall of communism, will be held on April 21.
At stake are 386 seats in the single-chamber Parliament.
Some 8.1 million Hungarians are eligible to vote at 10,843 polling stations. There are around 515,000 first-time voters.
The electoral system is a complex mix of first-past-the-post and proportional representation.
A total of 176 MPs are directly elected by majority vote from individual constituencies. The top three candidates usually go through to a second round as long as they win at least 15 percent of the vote. Anyone winning 50 percent plus one vote in the first round takes their seat with no need for a second vote.
Another 152 MPs are elected from regional party lists. Under this system, a party must poll at least five percent of the votes to gain entry to Parliament.
The remaining 58 seats are distributed from leftover votes from national lists to ensure proportional representation.
Within days of the second round, the president normally asks the largest party's leader to form a new government, a process that has a 40-day deadline.
If turnout in any constituency is below 50 percent, that vote is invalid and has to be re-held.
Polls open at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) and close at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Sunday.
There are currently six parties in parliament.
The centre-right coalition comprises Fidesz-Civic Party, Democratic Forum (MDF) and Independent Smallholders' (FKGP).
The opposition is led by the Socialists (MSP), with the liberal Free Democrats' Alliance (SZDSZ) and far-right Justice & Life Party (MIEP). A new Centrum Party (CP) was formed this year.
A total of 39 parties will contest the elections, eight of which have a national base. Following are brief profiles of the most significant parties.
FIDESZ:
LEADER: Viktor Orban
Founded by Budapest students in 1988 as a radical liberal party, Fidesz won 22 seats in the first post-communist vote in 1990. Its leaders then shed a denim-and-stubble image for a more conservative look, but won only 20 seats in 1994. After a revamp to position the party as the main centre-right force, it won the 1998 elections promising radical tax and social security cuts, strong economic growth and free higher education. Since 1998, its coalition allies have lost popularity but Fidesz, with its slick public relations, has played an increasingly populist and nationalist card and is well placed in opinion polls to become Hungary's first post-communist government to win re-election.
Support is put at 43-48 percent.
SOCIALISTS:
LEADER: Peter Medgyessy
Formed from the ashes of the Socialist Workers' Party, which dominated the communist era, the party was humiliated at 1990 elections but, like other ex-communists in the old Soviet bloc, it bounced back in 1994, winning an absolute majority and choosing to rule with the liberal Free Democrats under Prime Minister Gyula Horn. It stabilised the financial system, saw through the bulk of privatisation and began reforming the pension system. But, riddled with coalition disputes and privatisation scandals, it was ousted in 1998 by Fidesz. Led by Peter Medgyessy, who is not a party member, the Socialists have pledged a return to a more open and caring government which will keep EU talks on track, maintain economic growth and bridge the gap between the well-off and the poor who have missed out on the economic boom.
Support is put at 37-39 percent.
FREE DEMOCRATS' ALLIANCE (SZDSZ):
LEADER: Gabor Kuncze
A liberal party set up by dissident intellectuals, the SZDSZ won 24 percent of the vote in 1990. Four years later, hit by internal rows, the defection of key ideologues and a pro-Semitic image, its support had dipped but it took power in coalition with the Socialists. In 1998, it polled just seven percent of the vote. It now faces competition from the Centrum Party.
Support is put at five to seven percent.
JUSTICE & LIFE PARTY (MIEP):
LEADER: Istvan Csurka
Extreme right-wing faction which may hold the balance of power after the elections. Popular support is put at around five percent, but real backing for an avowedly far-right party with a strong nationalist, anti-Semitic and anti-globalisation voice, is often understated in opinion polls. Formed as a splinter from the ruling MDF in 1993 and led by maverick playwright Istvan Csurka, MIEP won its first 14 parliamentary seats in 1998, catching the eye with a populist campaign against joining NATO. It offers lukewarm support to Hungary's EU membership bid and rails against foreign involvement in business and the media.
Support is put at around three percent.
CENTRUM PARTY (CP):
LEADER: Mihaly Kupa
Set up earlier this year, the CP is a loose mix of Green and Christian Democrat factions with a largely agricultural and environmental bias, although it also targets small business and professional intellectuals. It aims to bring its "strong moderate" centrist values into play to counter moves towards an increasingly divisive bipartisan political scene.
Support is put at two to three percent.
( -- If you're interested in more on Hungary's elections, please visit http:/www.reuters.hu/election)
04:43 04-05-02
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