A pro-government commentator writes that the opposition parties wanted to teach Péter Márki-Zay a lesson by not allowing him to put his own candidates on the opposition ballot. A liberal pundit thinks that Márki-Zay’s party could have wooed moderate supporters, thus its exclusion could cost them votes.
Hungarian press roundup by budapost.eu
Background information: after his victory at the opposition primary last October, Márki-Zay proposed that in addition to the six founding parties of the alliance, his own candidates should also be placed in potentially winning positions on the opposition electoral list. In an interview with Klubrádió, he said his request was rejected by the Democratic Coalition and Jobbik.
Magyar Nemzet’s Tamás Pilhál writes that Márki-Zay’s failure to include his own party in the opposition alliance and secure a parliamentary group after the election is further proof that he has no real power. The pro-government commentator believes that the opposition will be dominated by the Democratic Coalition and Jobbik, the two parties with the largest factions in Parliament (after Fidesz), who will have the power to remove Márki-Zay any time in case the opposition wins the elections in April.
444.hu’s Péter Magyari also thinks that Márki-Zay has been defeated by the opposition parties which rejected his request to include representatives of his movement in the opposition alliance. The liberal pundit suggests that Márki-Zay’s party could have attracted new undecided moderate voters who will otherwise be hesitant to vote for the opposition alliance. At this point, it seems that Márki-Zay may become Prime Minister, as leader of a party that is not represented in Parliament, Magyari concludes.
Featured photo via Péter Márki-Zay’s Facebook page