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.[3] The organization transformed to association in October 2012.[4]
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 20 December 2010. Milla officially abolished in April 2014 following an annual passivity.[5]
Hungarian Solidarity Movement led by Péter Kónya, a social and trade union movement, based on the Polish Solidarity, formed on 4 October 2011. 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.[6]
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).[7] 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.
Ex-prime minister Gordon Bajnai, who announced the establishment of the Together alliance on 23 October 2012
In his speech, Bajnai repeatedly used a variant of the term ("We may fail on our own, but together, we shall prove victorious!"),[8] 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.[9] In December 2012, Bajnai announced that he intends to be a parliamentarian candidate in the 2014 general election.[10]
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).[13] The party was registered as "Together – Party for a New Era" because several other organizations overtaken the name "Together 2014" at the National Election Office.[14]
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.[15] 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).[16]
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.[17]
On 24 September 2016, the delegate assembly decided to participate in the next parliamentary election with a separate national list. Together also announced its intention of selection of joint opposition individual candidates through primaries in each constituencies.[18]
On 4 February 2017, Péter Juhász was elected as the party's new leader.[19] On the same day, Balázs Berkecz and Nóra Hajdú were elected as vice-presidents, and Viktor Szigetvári as the leader of the party's National Political Council (the board of the party). Since March, Juhász urged the election cooperation of those "democratic opposition parties", which refuse both the Orbán regime and the former governing left-wing parties, who represent the "world before 2010". Juhász called his concept as "New Pole" (Új Pólus), with the possible participation of the Politics Can Be Different (LMP), the Dialogue for Hungary (PM), the Hungarian Two-tailed Dog Party (MKKP) and the Momentum Movement, in addition to his party. With that statement, Juhász refused the cooperation with the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), the Democratic Coalition (DK) and the Hungarian Liberal Party (MLP).[20] According to a Medián opinion poll published in July 2017, this hypothetical alliance would receive 16 percent of the vote in the next election.[21] While the Together and the PM renewed their alliance in accordance with Juhász's "New Pole" concept on 4 October 2017, both LMP and Momentum Movement had rejected the election cooperation with other parties.[22]
On 23 June 2017, MP Zsuzsanna Szelényi announced that she resigned from her position in the party leadership and quit Together, after losing the election for the party leadership in February against Péter Juhász. She also disagreed with the new direction and method of politics, installed by Juhász and criticized the new president's guerrilla campaign methods and media PR campaigns and "ostentatious performances". She also said that she would retain her parliamentary mandate.[23]
In January 2018, leaders of the party announced that Together will participate in the 2018 national election separately. Former president Viktor Szigetvári was nominated the party's candidate for the position of prime minister.[24] The party failed to reach 5% electoral threshold, receiving 0.66 percent of the vote, albeit an individual candidate Szabolcs Szabó obtained a mandate, becoming his party's only MP. Subsequently, Szabó joined the LMP parliamentary group.[25] According to the laws, Together had to repay the state aid of HUF 150 million to the state budget, as a result Juhász organized a fundraising campaign.[26] The Together ceased to exist on 2 June 2018.[27]
On 8 March 2013, the Dialogue for Hungary (PM) has established an electoral coalition with the Together, which was formed as a political party. Benedek Jávor and Tímea Szabó, co-chairs of the green party also became members of the Together's board.[28] 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.[29] The two parties renewed their election cooperation for the 2018 national election on 4 October 2017.[22] However, after PM politician Gergely Karácsony became the Socialist Party's prime minister-candidate too, the Together has terminated the cooperation agreement on 8 December 2017.[30]
The Democratic Coalition is a social-liberal and social-democratic political party in Hungary led by former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány. Founded in 2010 as a faction within the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), the Democratic Coalition split from the MSZP on 22 October 2011 and became a separate party. It has fifteen MPs in the National Assembly and two MEPs in the European Parliament.
LMP – Hungary's Green Party is a green-liberal political party in Hungary. Founded in 2009, it was one of four parties to win seats in the National Assembly in the 2010 parliamentary election. It is a member of the Global Greens, and suspended member of the European Green Party.
György Gordon Bajnai is a Hungarian entrepreneur and economist, who served as the Prime Minister of Hungary from 2009 to 2010. Prior to that, he functioned as Minister of Local Government and Regional Development from 2007 to 2008, then as Minister of National Development and Economy from 2008 to 2009. In March 2009, following Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's announced resignation, Bajnai was nominated by the ruling Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) to become Hungary's next head of government. Bajnai became prime minister when the parliament passed a constructive motion of no-confidence against Ferenc Gyurcsány on 14 April 2009. He held the office until the formation of the Second Orbán Government following the 2010 parliamentary election.
András Schiffer is a Hungarian lawyer and former politician, who served as co-president of the Politics Can Be Different and leader of its parliamentary group. Schiffer announced his retirement from politics on 31 May 2016.
Benedek Jávor is a Hungarian politician and a former Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 2014 to 2019. He is a member of Dialogue for Hungary, part of the European Green Party.
Gergely Szilveszter Karácsony is a Hungarian politician, political scientist and current Mayor of Budapest. He previously served as member of the National Assembly (MP) from 2010 to 2014 and Mayor of Zugló from 2014 to 2019.
An early indirect presidential election was held in Hungary on 2 May 2012, following the resignation of Pál Schmitt as President of Hungary on 2 April 2012. János Áder was elected president with an absolute majority.
Dialogue – The Greens' Party, in short Párbeszéd or Párbeszéd – Zöldek, is a green political party in Hungary that was formed in February 2013 by eight MPs who left the Politics Can Be Different (LMP) party. Since its foundation, the party has never independently participated in any election.
An election of Members of the European Parliament from Hungary to the European Parliament was held on 25 May 2014.
Hungarian Liberal Party is a liberal political party in Hungary. The party was founded on 27 April 2013, founded by former Alliance of Free Democrats politician and minister Gábor Fodor. As part of opposition electoral alliances, MLP gained each one seat in 2014 and 2018 parliamentary elections. It is currently led by Anett Bősz. The party has been inactive following the 2022 parliamentary election.
Tímea Szabó is a Hungarian humanitarian worker, journalist and politician. She has been a member of the National Assembly (MP) since 2010 from the Politics Can Be Different (LMP) National List, and since the 2014 election as a member of Dialogue for Hungary (PM).
Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on 6 April 2014. This parliamentary election was the 7th since the 1990 first multi-party election. The result was a victory for the Fidesz–KDNP alliance, preserving its two-thirds majority, with Viktor Orbán remaining Prime Minister. It was the first election under the new Constitution of Hungary which came into force on 1 January 2012. The new electoral law also entered into force that day. For the first time since Hungary's transition to democracy, the election had a single round. The voters elected 199 MPs instead of the previous 386 lawmakers.
Viktor Szigetvári is a Hungarian politician, political scientist and campaign strategist, who served as leader of the Együtt party from 2013 to 2017.
Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on 8 April 2018. The elections were the second since the adoption of a new constitution, which came into force on 1 January 2012. The result was a victory for the Fidesz–KDNP alliance, preserving its two-thirds majority, with Viktor Orbán remaining Prime Minister. Orbán and Fidesz campaigned primarily on the issues of immigration and foreign meddling, and the election was seen as a victory for right-wing populism in Europe.
An indirect presidential election was held in Hungary on 13 March 2017. János Áder was elected President of Hungary for a second term.
Parliamentary elections were held in Hungary on 3 April 2022 to elect the National Assembly, coinciding with a referendum. Hungary's incumbent prime minister Viktor Orbán won re-election to a fourth term. Addressing his supporters after the partial results showed Fidesz leading by a wide margin, Orbán said: "We won a victory so big that you can see it from the moon, and you can certainly see it from Brussels." Opposition leader Péter Márki-Zay admitted defeat shortly after Orbán's speech. Reuters described it as a "crushing victory".
Péter Juhász is a Hungarian telemarketer, cannabis activist and politician, who served as leader of the Együtt party from February 2017 until its dissolution.
Péter Kónya is a Hungarian soldier, journalist, trade unionist and politician, who was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 2014 to 2018. As leader of the Hungarian Solidarity Movement, he was a founding member of the Together party until he quit in October 2015.
An election of Members of the European Parliament from Hungary to the European Parliament was held on 26 May 2019, electing the 21 members of the Hungary delegation to the European Parliament as part of the European elections held across the European Union.
An opposition primary was held in Hungary, between 18–28 September 2021 and 10–16 October 2021, to select the candidate for Prime Minister of Hungary supported by the opposition parties to form a coalition to compete in the 2022 parliamentary election. It was the first countrywide primary election in the political history of Hungary. The parties had also selected common candidates for single-member districts via the primary.
References
1 2 Nordsieck, Wolfram (2018). "Hungary". Parties and Elections in Europe.
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