Together (Hungary)

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Together
Együtt
President Viktor Szigetvári
Vice Presidents Péter Juhász
Levente Pápa
Founded 26 October 2012 (alliance)
8 March 2013 (party)
Ideology Social democracy
Social liberalism[1]
Liberalism
Pro-Europeanism
Political position Centre-left
European affiliation None
National Assembly
2 / 199
European Parliament
0 / 21
County Assemblies
0 / 419
Website
Együtt 2014
Politics of Hungary
Political parties
Elections

Together (Hungarian: Együtt), officially Together – Party for a New Era (Hungarian: Együtt – A Korszakváltók Pártja), formerly also known as Together 2014 (Hungarian: Együtt 2014), is a social liberal political party in Hungary, formed on 26 October 2012 for the 2014 Hungarian parliamentary election by Gordon Bajnai, the former Prime Minister of Hungary, to contrast Viktor Orbán's government. The Together originally founded as a coalition of left-wing and liberal political movements and civil organizations, which transformed itself into a party in March 2013. The current leader of the party is Viktor Szigetvári.

The party had formed an electoral alliance with the Dialogue for Hungary (PM) and they won together four seats in the national assembly and one seat in the European Parliament. Currently the Together has taken two seats from the four in the Hungarian parliament but has no representatives in Brussels.

Members

During its foundation, the coalition consisted of three civil society organizations:

  • Patriotism and Progress Association led by Gordon Bajnai. The Patriotism and Progress Public Policy Foundation formed after the 2010 elections, which prepared several professional programs and proposal for the government.[2] The organization transformed to association in October 2012.[3]
  • One Million for Press Freedom (Milla) led by Péter Juhász, originally a Facebook group, which formed against the Viktor Orbán's cabinet Media Act on 21 December 2010. Milla officially abolished in April 2014 following an annual passivity.[4]
  • Hungarian Solidarity Movement led by Péter Kónya, a social and trade union movement, based on the Polish Solidarity, formed on 4 October 2011. The Solidarity left the Together party in February 2015, because disagreed with the party's internal integration and abolition of the Together's coalition platform system which led to the formation of an unified image party.[5]

History

Gordon Bajnai announced his return to politics on 23 October 2012, during the anti-government demonstration of the One Million for Press Freedom (Milla).[6] On the protest, he called for an anti-Orbán coalition so as to form a supermajority in Parliament with the help of which the changes done by Orbán's ruling party, Fidesz could be undone.

In his speech, Bajnai repeatedly used a variant of the term ("We may fail on our own, but together, we shall prove victorious!"),[7] when he proclaimed his support for such a "cooperation between hopeful left-wingers, disappointed rightwingers, politically abandoned free-thinkers and committed Greens" that his organization along with two other civilian body named Together 2014 as a reference to the date of the next general elections in Hungary.[8] In December 2012, Bajnai announced that he intends to be a parliamentarian candidate in the 2014 general election.[9]

According to initial plans, the Together 2014 would have been an umbrella organization of centre-left parties, similar to The Olive Tree in Italy which established against Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing coalition in 1995. However Politics Can Be Different had rejected the cooperation in both November 2012[10] and January 2013,[11] and the Hungarian Socialist Party led by Attila Mesterházy gradually took over the initiative.

The Together movement transformed itself into party on 8 March 2013, as only parties could take part in the election according to the rules. Three co-presidents were elected: Viktor Szigetvári (Patriotism and Progress Association), Péter Kónya (Solidarity) and Péter Juhász (Milla).[12] The party was officially registered as "Together – Party for a New Era" because several other organizations overtaken the name "Together 2014" at the National Election Office.[13]

On 14 January 2014, five opposition parties, including Together, entered into a coalition and formed Unity alliance. Contrary to his earlier plans, Bajnai could not reach to become joint Prime Minister candidate of the left-wing opposition since Attila Mesterházy (MSZP) was appointed to that position.[14] The Unity suffered a heavy defeat and Together won only three mandates within the alliance and was unable to form a parliamentary group. The Together–Dialogue for Hungary alliance received 7.25 % of the votes in the 2014 European Parliament election and gained one seat (Benedek Jávor, co-leader of the Dialogue for Hungary).[15]

Following the retirement of Gordon Bajnai in September 2014, Viktor Szigetvári became the only key leader of the party. He was elected sole president in February 2015, against Levente Pápa.[16]

Alliance

On 8 March 2013, the Dialogue for Hungary (PM) has established an electoral coalition with the Together, which officially formed as a political party. Benedek Jávor and Tímea Szabó, co-chairs of the green party also became members of the Together's board.[17] The two parties registered a joint national list for the 2014 European Parliament election too. Dialogue for Hungary broke off the permanent nature of alliance between the two parties on 9 November 2014.[18]

Party's ideology

The party's ideology is the Social democracy, Social liberalism, Liberalism and the Pro-Europeanism.

Election results

For the Hungarian Parliament:

Election year National Assembly Government
# of
overall votes		  % of
overall vote		 # of
overall seats won		 +/–
20141
1,246,465
25.99 %
3 / 199
in opposition

For the European Parliament:

Election year # of overall votes  % of overall vote # of overall seats won +/-
20142 168,076 7.25 (#5)
0 / 21

1 In an electoral alliance with Dialogue for Hungary, Hungarian Socialist Party, Democratic Coalition and Hungarian Liberal Party.

2 In an electoral alliance with Dialogue for Hungary (PM). They gained one seat, PM politician Benedek Jávor.

References

  1. ↑ Parties and Elections in Europe: The database about parliamentary elections and political parties in Europe, by Wolfram Nordsieck
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  6. ↑ Bajnai said to announce return to politics on October 23
  7. ↑ Gordon Bajnai's speech as published on the home page of his organization
  8. ↑ BBC News - Mass rallies mark 1956 Hungary uprising
  9. ↑ Bajnai says plans to run for Parliament; in car accident in Budapest
  10. ↑ Az LMP nemet mondott Bajnaiéknak – Index, 2012-11-18
  11. ↑ Szétszakadt az LMP – Index, 2013-01-27
  12. ↑ Párttá alakult az Együtt 2014 - közismert arcok a vezetőségben – Híradó.hu, 2013-03-08
  13. ↑ Együtt – a Korszakváltók Pártja: bejegyezték Bajnai Gordon pártját – Délmagyar.hu, 2013-06-28
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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