Socialists nominate Botka as PM candidate

Budapest, May 27 (MTI) – The opposition Socialists officially elected László Botka, the current Mayor of Szeged, as their prime ministerial candidate at their party congress, the party’s chairman announced on Saturday.

Botka, who ran for the nomination unopposed, received 280 delegate votes from a total possible 292, Gyula Molnár said.

In his address to the party congress, Molnár said next year’s general election was about choosing between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Europe.

He said ruling Fidesz had “deceived” the country and had “cast away all respectable conservative values”.

Molnár said national pride under Fidesz had turned into “cynicism and arrogance”. He said the government had turned its back on representing the values of the past to “build a regime of lords and servants” and had left behind “Europeanism” and “turned towards Eastern dictators”.

He said the Socialist party was not a narrow elite and would govern “for the many” instead of “the few” if elected. Molnár said a Socialist government would expect those who are better off to take on a greater share of the public burden to help those living in more difficult conditions.

Botka said in his speech that next year’s election would be decided between voters who are satisfied with the government’s performance and those who are not. He said all voters must ask themselves whether they are satisfied with Hungary’s current state. Botka said those who are satisfied should choose Orbán and those who are not should pick him in 2018.