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Péter Márki-Zay wants to build a new conservative-liberal party that could also become a member of the European People’s Party and – after the next parliamentary elections in four years – have its own parliamentary group, the opposition alliance’s joint candidate for prime minister, announced in an interview with InfoRádió on Thursday.
The formation of the party has already begun, Márki-Zay said, as there are two parties in Hungary on which he can build: the Új Kezdet (New Beginning) party, led by former MDF politician György Gémesi, and the New World People’s Party led by József Pálinkás, the former head of the Science Academy and a minister in the first Orbán-led government (2001-2002).
Márki-Zay would like to create an “honest” right-wing party, which he believes is what former MDF and [governing] Fidesz voters are sorely missing.
He added that the Everybody’s Hungary Movement (MMM), which he founded in 2018, cannot be turned into a party because of its diversity.
Márki-Zay said that while allied opposition Jobbik is a right-wing party, it is a national radical party with Christian social sentiments, but, he wants “a conservative party that is liberal on economic issues, has European People’s Party traditions, follows them, and joins the European People’s Party.”
We want a non-thieving conservative party that decent people, real Christian people, can vote for as well. We don’t have one now, and that’s a huge mistake.”
The opposition alliance’s PM candidate also announced that European People’s Party leader Donald Tusk will visit Budapest on March 15th. His previous talks with Mikulas Dzurinda and Manfred Weber were also aimed at ensuring that there would be a Hungarian member of the EPP. Tusk has already voiced his support concerning Márki-Zay’s future party joining the EPP party family.
When asked who would lead the new political formation, Márki-Zay replied that he was still in discussions with Gémesi and Pálinkás, but for the time being the three of them were the hallmarks of the initiative. The initiative doesn’t even have a name yet, and will only be finalized when the party is registered.
Featured photo via Ágnes Kunhalmi’s Facebook page
