DK forms shadow government

Commentators on both sides of the political divide are sceptical about the chances of the Democratic Coalition to represent a counterweight to the government on its own.

In Népszava, Péter Németh wouldn’t oppose a lone DK shadow government, if the Democratic Coalition was strong enough to influence government decisions or, more importantly, public opinion. Unfortunately, he adds, even when the opposition parties stand together they have no influence, as shown by local council by-elections on Sunday, when 2 out of 3 seats were won by Fidesz in the opposition stronghold of Budapest which leaves the opposition with two local elections won, against 11 lost to Fidesz, since the April parliamentary elections. Németh remarks that Klára Dobrev MEP, the shadow Prime Minister, has invited other parties to join her shadow cabinet, but in vain. Which goes to show how opposition unity only belongs to the past, Németh laments.

In a much more acrimonious column in Magyar Nemzet, Tamás Pilhál finds the idea of a DK shadow cabinet outright ridiculous, after the crushing defeat of the wide opposition alliance in April. The idea of a one-party shadow government, he believes, only shows a lack of democratic spirit within the Democratic Coalition. He lists a series of opposition initiatives that have mobilized more or less significant support over the past years without, however, causing real problems to the government, adding that if those proved unsuccessful, the shadow cabinet is certainly doomed to failure.

Tags: DK, Dobrev, shadow government