Election 2018 – Opposition parties withdraw candidates to support each other

The opposition Socialist-Párbeszéd, Democratic Coalition (DK) and Együtt parties have agreed to withdraw candidates in some constituencies in favour of nominees with the best chances to win.

Under the agreement, announced on Wednesday, the Socialist-Párbeszéd alliance would withdraw their candidate in a Budapest constituency while DK in another constituency to support Együtt’s nominees.

Együtt will withdraw their candidates in three districts in Budapest, as well as in another three constituencies in the provinces in support of the Socialists. Együtt’s candidates in three Budapest districts and in two in the provinces will step down to help DK.

At the press conference, the candidate of the Socialist-Párbeszéd parties for downtown Budapest also announced her unilateral resignation in favour of LMP’s nominee.

Együtt head Péter Juhász said at the press conference that his party had “done everything” to ensure that the opposition wins the election, and argued that with the withdrawals, Együtt will not have a candidate in 76 constituencies where another opposition party had a nominee with a good chance of winning. He noted that LMP was running a candidate in 103 out of the 106 constituencies and Momentum in 90 districts, an attitude which he called “extremely irresponsible”. Juhász urged both parties to “take unilateral moves reflecting voters’ will” and withdraw candidates wherever necessary.