ABSTRACT
Introduction The Hungarian party system is characterized by the combination of decreasing fragmentation, high polarization, bipolar competition and lack of new entries. Still qualifying as volatile according to the standards of late twentieth century Western politics, Hungary has produced one of the most consolidated party systems in the post-communist world. The present chapter tries to answer the question about the role of institutional conditions, socio-structural underpinnings, organizational techniques, alliance-building strategies and ideological formation in the development of this relatively high degree of consolidation. The Identity of Hungarian Parties The relative simplicity and stability of the Hungarian party system is well illustrated by the fact that the post-communist history of the parliament can be retold, even using a generous definition of relevant parties, with no more than seven party-names1. These are the Independent Smallholders’ Party (FKgP), the Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP), the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF), the Party of Hungarian Justice and Life (MIÉP) and the Fidesz on the right of the political spectrum, and on the left: the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) and the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ). It is noteworthy, however, how much the ideological profile of some of the parties has changed during the past fifteen years. The Independent Smallholders’ Party (FKgP) was the largest party of the short democratic period between the Second World War and the communist takeover. It
1 Next to these parties one more must be briefly mentioned, the Workers’ (or Labor) Party. It was established in 1989 by the orthodox wing of the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party. It tried to combine nostalgia for the Kádárist era with the rhetoric of the anti-globalist movements, without much real success. This party used to collect around 3 per cent of the vote at the national elections, but gained no political relevance otherwise.
