http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/europe/10 ... index.html
To sum up what happened shortly...
--The Socialist Party won the election in April by pretty much lying about the country's financial siuation, promising all sorts of benefits for the people...
-After they won, they immediatly revealed what an utter *** our financial situ. is, and started working on a serious new tax-package... this would include selling the hospitals and reducing the list of lowered-price medicament, reinstalling school fees, increasing common taxes, reducing health benefits, taxing common products, abolishing the 13. month pension, etc... (funnily most of the taxes will hurt the elderly people, who are the biggest supporter group of the Socialist Party (which is technicall the same old Communist Party with a namechange, almost all their politicans were in high positions in the Communist Party).
-Tensions rose. However, not much happened until a month ago... when the speech our current prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany held for his party members after the won the elections, was leaked.
In the speech Gyurcsany basically admits that they did nothing in the last 1,5 years (he seized his position with a coup against his socialist predecessor - and former patroniser - Peter Medgyessy). He used pretty vulgar words saying "We f*ck*d up. No goverment did such a boneheaded thing like we did" and "We lied day and night". For a full speech go here - be warned, it contains some pretty obscene words.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferenc_Gyu ... the_speech
-The opposition immediatly demanded the Gyurcsany step down, while the president of state said the speech was a serious blow to people believes in democracy (
yeah, like we do believe in that... ) and also demanded the PM steps down - however in Hungary the President of State is pretty much powerless. Only the majority of the parliament could dismiss Gyurcsany and as the majority are socialists, they'll never do that...-Next day, huge protests were held against Gyurcsany everywhere in the country, including in front of the parliament. While peaceful at first, at night a smaller group went to the state TV station and demanded they aired their list of demands. When refused, they wanted to go in, and the police arrested some of them... this angered the protesters, naturally... soon enough people were throwing bricks at the cops and cars were set ablaze. Interestingly, the cops there were mostly new recruits and were left there without any reinforcements, almost as if the goverment wanted the mob to capture the building... They did, though nothing happened as the TV station was shut down.
-Many people were arrested afterwards, though thankfully no-one died or was injured badly. Next day the cops took revenge by assaulting the other peaceful protesters and beating them up...
-While the protests stayed and grew country-wise (no more riots were done, though) , the residential elections came at the end of the week. Not surprisingly, the Socialist and their LIberal partners lost everywhere major time (although in the capital city, Budapest, the liberal mayor (who runs the city since 1990) still won by 1,7%). The opposition party, the Fidesz (they are hard to describe... they started out as an ultra-liberal party and became a sort of national-conservative party while assimilating all the right and central parties on the way... but they still have many liberals among them) demanded the goverment step down, as the word of the people demanded it. They gave the president 72 hours to step down...
-Gyurcsany started a no-confidence provision against himself... well knowing that the socialists need him as they have no other well-known leaders. And he was right, he won the provision. The Fidesz got the people out on the streets but not much happened, as they sticked to make the president step down by democratic means... meaning they'll fail, as this would require majority in the parliament.
-And this brings us here, 2006.10.23. It is the 50th anniversary of our freedom fight against the Soviets, which was short lived though, but it was the first major rebellion against Soviet opression. (followed by the Chechs and Poland in 1968) The Western countries didn't intervene - it's well-known now that they agreed with the USSR that they will leave HUngary to them, but the Soviets will not intervene in the Suez Canal conflict.
-Being the 50th anniversary, country-wide rememberings are being held, with lots of people attending... and tensions are high, as the current regime are direct descendants of the Communists who quelled the freedom fight 50 years ago (executing and imprisoning thousands of people... while also thousands fled to the US and western Europe). The opposition held a separate meeting as they don't recognise Gyurcsany as PM anymore.
-Now as I write, things turned ugly again, the police used tear gas and rubber bullets against the people on the street ... whom as I heard, even manned the T-36 soviet tanks brought out for demonstrations (the Soviets used these tanks to attack us in 56). The Fidesz still sticks to the democratic ways and wants to start a referendum about the Goverment's tax package...
Whev. So that's how things are in Budapest now. I do hope no blood will be shed, but I agree that Gyurcsany has to go... however for the socialistsit'd be complete suicide for the party, so they won't let it happen... what happens now is anyone's guess..
As for me? I never go out to protests on principle, and I overslept the first big riot... Now I wanted to visit a friend today, but I'm glad I didn't as the place he lives was just overrun by angry policemen... Will see what happens and keep you briefed, if anyone is interested, at all.
Oh and I'll close my post with something a bit more lighhearted... Gyurcsany made it to Comedy Central a few weeks ago!
It's a quite funny little clip. (But note - the guy shown is by NO MEANS wearing a traditional Hungarian garb... it's more like Romanian, methinks.) But it's true... it's all about the pie! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1X9wbsyGLgY
So much about Soviet masterpieces of work! 
