Whereas the economy minister sees the government’s economic policy “as successful as a fairytale”, that story has now become a “nightmare” for the country, Laszlo Botka, head of the national board of the opposition Socialist Party (MSZP), said on Friday.
Botka argued that while the economies of other countries in the region had already been put back on a growth path, Hungary has sunk in recession; unemployment has been on the rise and the government’s flat tax resulted in a reduction in the net income of the wide masses.
He referred to recent polls among Hungary’s electorate that showed a narrowing gap between the support of the ruling Fidesz party and the MSZP. He added that the political race is open at mid-term.
Botka said he was confident that the majority of voters would like to see a different government and that at the next election in 2014 the Socialists would offer a suitable alternative.
On Thursday, Economy Minister Gyorgy Matolcsy told CNN in an interview that the government’s unconventional policies would bear fruit starting from next year. “The Hungarian fairytale, or the Hungarian example, will be a successful one in a year’s time,” the minister insisted.
