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Democratic Coalition and Jobbik conclude primary pact

June 15th, 2021

Jobbik’s former leader explains the reasons behind such a surprising alliance, while a conservative pundit accuses Jobbik of betraying its origins. A leftist commentator lambasts Jobbik and Karácsony for supporting a Socialist candidate accused of corruption.

Mandiner quotes a Facebook post by Jobbik founder and former leader Gábor Vona who points out  several practical reasons behind the pact between Jobbik and the DK to support each other’s candidates in the September opposition primaries in most individual constituencies.  They hope to reach a relative majority in most of those districts and thus ensure themselves an edge in the future parliament at the expense of the rest of their opposition allies, Vona explains. He also sees their pact as a response to the ’99 Movement’ set up by Budapest Mayor and probable opposition candidate for Prime Minister Gergely Karácsony. Vona suspects that ‘99’ is meant to become a future united party engulfing all the opposition forces after the elections.

Mandiner’s Gellért Rajcsányi finds it self-defeating for Jobbik to ally themselves with Ferenc Gyurcsány, because as he sees it, Jobbik became a sizeable political force as a vehicle for the protest of young people against the Gyurcsány government in 2006. By allying themselves with Gyurcsány’s Democratic Coalition, Rajcsányi writes, Jobbik is losing not just face but its very identity.

On 444, Dániel Ács fulminates against Jobbik leader Péter Jakab and Gergely Karácsony, who both express support for the Socialist candidate in the 14th district of Budapest. He recalls that Csaba Tóth, the incumbent MP of the constituency, has been repeatedly accused by Karácsony himself of corruption. Ács sees opting for him against his rival, Ákos Hadházy, an independent MP and famous anti-corruption campaigner, as a worrying message that even raises the question whether it is worth voting for a change of government.

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