VZCZCXRO2486
RR RUEHAG
DE RUEHUP #0842/01 1141234
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 241234Z APR 06
FM AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9056
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BUDAPEST 000842 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR EUR/NCE 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/24/2011 
TAGS: PGOV KDEM SOCI PINR HU
SUBJECT: HUNGARY'S ELECTIONS:  PRELIMINARY SECOND ROUND 
RESULTS SHOW RULING COALITION RETURNED TO POWER 
(C-RE6-00145) 
 
REF: STATE 22644 
 
Classified By: Pol/C Bob Patterson.  Reasons:  1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
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Summary 
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¶1. (C) The April 23 final round of the parliamentary 
elections returned the current MSZP-SZDSZ governing coalition 
to power with an enhanced majority.  The Central Election 
Commission is expected to certify final returns the week of 
May 1, once absentee ballots are tabulated, then President 
Solyom after consultation with the four parliamentary parties 
should invite current Prime Minister Gyurcsany to form a 
government.  Gyurcsany signaled to Ambassador at a brief 
post-election meeting the evening of April 23 that we will 
immediately tackle Hungary's yawning budget deficit and the 
associated public sector reform.  The election result spells 
the second consecutive election defeat for opposition FIDESZ, 
but Party President Viktor Orban, shows no signs of 
relinquishing his grasp on power. 
 
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The (Almost) Final Tally 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U)  With 98.26 percent of the vote counted, it appears 
that the MSZP-SZDSZ coalition can expect 210 out of 
Parliament's 386 seats, or a 16-seat majority.  According to 
these nearly-final results, the National Election Commission 
currently estimates that the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) 
will have 186 seats, the FIDESZ and their partner Christian 
Democratic People's Party (FIDESZ-KDNP) 164, the Alliance of 
Free Democrats (SZDSZ) 18, the Hungarian Democratic Forum 
(MDF) 11 and the "For Somogy" Union 1 vote.  Joint MSZP-SZDSZ 
candidates won 6 seats.  That leaves a difference of 46 seats 
between the coalition parties and FIDESZ.  Eleven 
individual-constituency races remain too close to call and 
results will be certified only on or after April 29, when the 
tabulation of absentee ballots will be complete. 
 
-------------------- 
Voter Turnout 
-------------------- 
 
¶3.  (U) While overall turnout was robust in Hungary's 2006 
elections, the mood was not revolutionary.  Turnout for the 
April 23 second round was 64.34 percent, with a high of 70.75 
in Budapest and a low of 59.42 percent in 
Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok County.  The average was some 10 points 
lower than in 2002's second round, when the political 
atmosphere was highly charged. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Prime Minister-Elect's Speech 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) In his victory speech yesterday evening, Prime 
Minister-elect Ferenc Gyurcsany emphasized national unity and 
the personal responsibility he feels to all Hungarians, 
regardless of whom they voted for.  (He said he would 
continue to serve in the name of 10 million Hungarians, and 
in the interest of 15 million Hungarians.)  Gyurcsany 
suggested that what his party had won was not power, but 
&tasks and responsibility.8  He expressed his faith in the 
Hungarian people, who knowthat &it is not enough to ask 
what I can get fro the nation, but also to ask what I can 
give to t,8 and painted a vision of the country where 
&ech can reach his goals as according to his talents. 
 
------------------------ 
Orban Concedes 
----------------------- 
 
¶5. (U) Speaking at a pres conference just a few minutes 
after conceding dfeat to Gyurcsany, FIDESZ President Viktor 
Orbansaid the greatest lesson for his party is that a 
conservative victory is impossible without unity.  &Our 
opponents,8 Orban said, &learned the importance of 
unifying8 and thus ensured their victory.  In the role of a 
&constructive opposition,8 Orban pledged that FIDESZ would 
support institutions which the Hungarian democracy &may 
still lack.8  He also noted that FIDESZ will protect the 
interests of everyone who voted for the party and that the 
party,s supporters need shed no tears for FIDESZ; although 
the shedding of a few tears may be justified for the nation. 
 
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BUDAPEST 00000842  002 OF 002 
 
 
Other Party Presidents Speak 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (U) Speaking to elated supporters, SZDSZ leader Gabor 
Kuncze responded to Orban,s speech by reminding everyone 
that &there is no need to protect anyone, as no one is being 
threatened.8  Kuncze noted that such rhetoric serves only to 
divide the country, and that the election results show that 
the majority rejected &what FIDESZ chose to convey between 
the two election rounds.8  MDF party president Ibolya David, 
in her speech, congratulated the winners, and thanked members 
of her party for not caving in under the pressure of the last 
two weeks.  Voicing sharp criticism of FIDESZ, David said the 
senior opposition party did not lose the elections on April 
23, but by its &politicking8 over the course of the last 
several years.  She called FIDESZ,s attempt to unite the 
right &under one color8 a serious wrong.  David said MDF,s 
performance in the elections established that the party,s 
call for normalcy and decency in politics does resonate with 
voters and added that the right faces a major transformation 
in Hungary, in which MDF intends to play an important role. 
 
-------------------------------------------- 
Gyurcsany Outlines His Plans 
To Ambassador 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (C) The Ambassador and DCM congratulated all four of the 
parliamentary parties' leading candidates evening April 23 
(election eve) immediately after FIDESZ President Orban had 
conceded defeat to Prime Minister-elect Gyurcsany.  Orban 
thanked the Ambassador for his effort to seek him out at 
FIDESZ headquarters.  Both SZDSZ President Gabor Kuncze and 
MDF President Ibolya David were grateful for the visit as 
well. In a brief, sit-down meeting, Gyurcsany, who was 
accompanied by his wife, Klara Dobrev, regretted the previous 
four "wasted years," and promised that his party with its 
enhanced mandate would immediately tackle the tough issues on 
Hungary's agenda, among them public sector reform and the 
concomitant budged deficit.  In fact, Gyurcsany said, he 
would outline his government-elect's program at a press 
conference to be held afternoon, April 24 (septel)  Gyurcsany 
predicted his new government would be ready for action by 
mid-June.  He stressed the importance of both solid relations 
within the EU and good transatlantic issues, and indicated he 
would continue his efforts to burnish relations with Russia. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
Next Steps in Forming a Government 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
¶8. (U) Final tallies, including absentee ballots, should be 
recorded by the Central Election Commission (CEC) by April 
¶29.  Some of the remaining eleven undecided races are very 
close, however, and requests to the CEC for a re-count in a 
few of those contests cannot be excluded, which could delay 
the announcement of final election results by an additional 
several days.  Once final results are certified, President 
Solyom will consult with the leaders of all parliamentary 
parties before inviting Prime Minister-elect Gyurcsany to 
form a government.  Within thirty days of receiving that 
invitation, Gyurcsany must convene Parliament.  As noted 
above, Gyurcsany expects to announce his new government by 
mid-June.  Should he wish to reduce the number of ministries 
as part of his effort to streamline government, legislative 
action would be necessary when the Parliament is convened in 
June. 
 
¶9. (U) Visit Embassy Budapest's classified website: 
www.state.sgov.gov/p/eur/budapest/index.cfm 
WALKER