OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 31, 13 February 1997

HUNGARY'S FREE DEMOCRATS IN FAVOR OF SMALLER PARLIAMENT. The Alliance of
Free Democrats (SZDSZ), the junior coalition party, has said it is in
favor of reducing the number of deputies from 386 to 250-300, Nepszava
reported on 13 February. SZDSZ leader Peter Hack said the party will
also propose that the traditional 11-week election campaign be reduced
to eight weeks and that the campaign funds available to each party be
reduced. The Free Democrats would like private contributions to election
campaigns not to exceed 50,000 forints, while the ceiling for legal
entities would be set at 500,000 forints. In 1994, some entrepreneurs
practically "bought" their parliamentary mandates by contributing
several million forints to election campaigns. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Jan Cleave

OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 32, 14 February 1997

SLOVAK FOREIGN MINISTRY CONDEMNS HUNGARIAN CRITICISM . . . The Slovak
Foreign Ministry on 13 February issued a statement saying it considers
"the increasingly critical statements" made by Hungarian politicians
about Slovakia to constitute an "ongoing campaign that casts doubt on
the real situation of the Hungarian minority," CTK reported. The
statement also says that the criticism is even more surprising since "it
comes from a country that has not been able to provide conditions for
the survival of national minorities on its own territory." The main
problem is not the situation of Hungarians in Slovakia but rather
"Hungary's minority policy in relation to the Hungarian minorities
abroad," the statement claimed. -- Anna Siskova

 . . . WHILE HUNGARIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TRIES TO AVOID "WAR OF WORDS."
Laszlo Kovacs said in response to the Slovak Foreign Ministry statement
that Hungary does not want a "war of words" with Slovakia and is
striving for improved bilateral relations, international media reported.
He added that Budapest wants to resolve disputes in line with European
standards, noting that while Hungary recognizes the general progress in
bilateral relations, it cannot ignore issues affecting minority rights.
The two countries' foreign ministers are scheduled to meet next month in
Bratislava to discuss controversies in bilateral relations, including
the Gabcikovo-Nagymaros dam dispute and a minority language law in
Slovakia. -- Zsofia Szilagyi

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Jan Cleave

OMRI DAILY DIGEST
No. 33, 17 February 1997

HUNGARIAN RULING PARTY BEGINS ELECTION PREPARATIONS. During a weekend
meeting of top officials from the Socialist Party, Prime Minister Gyula
Horn warned that unjustified internal disputes are damaging the party's
image, Hungarian media reported on 17 February. The Socialists discussed
how to alter their tone to appear as an authentic left-wing party for
next year's parliamentary elections. The party's executive board said
recently there are three reasons for the party's falling popularity:
price increases, the privatization scandal involving consultant Marta
Tocsik, and internal party disputes. The latest opinion polls, conducted
by Sonda Ipsos, put Horn in 25th place in popularity. Young Democrat
Tamas Deutsch, who chairs the commission on Tocsik, rose to second
place, behind President Arpad Goncz. Meanwhile, statistics released on
14 February showed that real wages fell by 5.4% last year. According to
Napi Gazdasag, inflation is expected to reach 16%-19% in 1997. -- Sharon
Fisher

[As of 12:00 CET]

Compiled by Susan Caskie