Only three opposition parties would enter parliament on their own, while Fidesz's support remains high, according to a recent poll.Continue reading
According to the latest opinion poll by the left-leaning Republikon Institute, the governing Fidesz-KDNP parties continue to lead the race, while the Democratic Coalition has the highest support among the opposition parties. The share of undecideds has increased to 28 percent.
Although the governing parties have seen a slight decline in popularity among both the overall population and among certain party voters, they remain above 30 percent. The Fidesz-KDNP’s support has dropped by two percentage points to 31 percent of the total population, and is also down by two percentage points (44 percent) among party voters.
The slight decline could be due to several factors. Firstly, it is the middle of an election period, when the campaign is not as strong as before an election, and thus the parties’ popularity is lower. In addition, the government has recently announced the abolition of the price freeze, major changes in the family benefits system, and the adoption of a controversial law on the status of teachers, all of which have contributed to the decline in party popularity, according to Republikon.
Despite the slight decline, however, Fidesz-KDNP is still leading the party race with confidence.
On the opposition side, the Democratic Coalition (Demokratikus Koalíció), led by former Socialist Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány, saw its popularity among the general population and party voters strengthened in July. According to current figures, they remain the strongest opposition party, with 13 percent of the total population and 18 percent of party voters currently voting for the party.
However, the other opposition parties are in serious trouble, which poses a problem in the run-up to the municipal and European Parliament elections next June.
Many of them are below or just below the five percent parliamentary threshold, which is not relevant for municipal elections, but still paints a gloomy picture on the political scene.
Apart from the Democratic Coalition, the youth-founded Momentum and the nationalist Our Homeland Movement (Mi Hazánk Mozgalom) have the most support. Momentum’s support has remained unchanged over the past month, with six percent of the total population and nine percent of party voters still voting for the party.
Support for Our Homeland Movement has increased by 1-1 percentage points among both the total population and party voters, with six and eight percent respectively now voting for the party. Its popularity has fluctuated slightly over the last period, but overall support for the party has remained at a similar level.
For the time being, Our Homeland does not seem to be able to catch up with itself by the end of 2022, or to regain its second place in the opposition strength ranking from Momentum.
It is also worth mentioning the Hungarian Two-Tailed Dog Party (Magyar Kétfarkú Kutyapárt) that started out as a joke party, but it could get into parliament if elections were to be held this weekend. According to the Republikon survey, the party’s support among the general population has dropped by one percent, but among party voters is unchanged, with four and six percent respectively, currently voting for the party.
The long-established Hungarian Socialist Party (Magyar Szocialista Párt, MSZP), formerly headed by Ferenc Gyurcsány, who now leads the Democratic Coalition, would barely make it into parliament in a general election.
The party currently enjoys the support of four percent of the total population and five percent of party voters.
Hungary’s Green Party’s (LMP – Magyarország Zöld Pártja) support among the total population is unchanged, while its support among party voters has fallen by one percentage point, to three and four percent respectively. Movement for a Better Hungary’s (Jobbik) support has not changed and remains at three and four percent respectively. Dialogue for Hungary – Greens (Párbeszéd – Zöldek) would be voted for by two percent of both the total population and party voters, meaning that they could not get into parliament if elections were to be held this Sunday. Still, the small party has the leader of Budapest, Mayor Gergely Karácsony.
Featured photo via MTI/Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher
