Alliance of Free Democrats
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The Alliance of Free Democrats - the Hungarian Liberal Party (Hungarian: Szabad-Demokraták szövetsége - a Magyar Liberális Párt, abbreviation SZDSZ) is a liberal party in Hungary, led by Gábor Kuncze. It is a member of the ELDR and of Liberal International. The SZDSZ draws it support predominantly from Budapest. Right-wing opponents frequently feature the party in conspiracy theories and claim it a device of the Jews, homosexuals, and various other minorities.
It was founded in November 1988 as an opposition party to the communists and draws support mostly from the middle classes, liberal intellectuals and entrepreneurs. Its heyday may be thought to have ended when it suffered heavy losses in the General Election in 1998, and in 2002 it scored only 5.5% of the vote, returning 20 deputies. It is, however, a coalition partner with the ruling Hungarian Socialist Party. Presently SZDSZ is in charge of three government ministries. In the 2004 European Parliamentary Election it recovered a little to 7.7% and elected 2 MEPs. At the 2006 elections, it gained with 6.5% of the list votes 20 representatives out of 386 in the Parliament (this was the first time that it raised its support) and 20 of the 386 seats.
SZDSZ provided the first freely elected President of the Third Hungarian Republic, Árpád Göncz, and the Mayor of Budapest, Gábor Demszky, in office since 1990.
Parliamentary representation
| year | seat percentage | seats | popular votes | status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 23.83% | 92 | 1,168,234 | opposition |
| 1994 | 17.88% | 69 | 965,401 | government |
| 1998 | 6.22% | 24 | 344,352 | opposition |
| 2002 | 5.57% | 20 | 313,084 | government |
| 2006 | 6.5% | 20 | 351,612 | government |
Party Leaders
- 23 February 1990 to 23 November 1991 János Kis
- November 23 1991 to November 13 1992 Péter Tölgyessy
- November 13 1992 to April 24 1997 Iván Pető
- April 24 1997 to June 20 1998 Gábor Kuncze
- June 20 1998 to December 2000 Bálint Magyar
- December 2000 to June 2001 Gábor Demszky
- June 2001 to present Gábor Kuncze
Ministries led by SZDSZ
- Ministry of Economy and Transport (Minister: János Kóka)
- Ministry of Health (Minister: Dr. med. Lajos Molnár)
- Ministry of Environment (Minister: Dr. Miklós Persányi)
See also
- Liberalism
- Contributions to liberal theory
- Liberalism worldwide
- List of liberal parties
- Liberal democracy
- Liberalism and radicalism in Hungary
External link
- Alliance of Free Democrats official site