- Hungarian Democratic Forum
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Hungarian Democratic Forum
Magyar Demokrata Fórum
Last leader Zsolt Makay Founded 27 September 1987 Dissolved 8 April 2011 Succeeded by Democratic Community of Welfare and Freedom (JESZ) Headquarters 1025 Budapest, II. Szilágyi Erzsébet fasor 73. Ideology Liberal conservatism,
Christian democracy,
National conservatism[1]International affiliation Centrist Democrat International European affiliation Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists European Parliament Group European Conservatives and Reformists Official colours Green National Assembly: 0 / 386European Parliament: 1 / 22Website http://www.mdf.hu/ Politics of Hungary
Political parties
ElectionsHungary 
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The Hungarian Democratic Forum (Hungarian: Magyar Demokrata Fórum), abbreviated to MDF, was a centre-right political party in Hungary. It had a liberal conservative and Christian democratic ideology. The party was represented continuously in the National Assembly from the restoration of democracy in 1990 until 2010.
The MDF was the largest party on Hungary's emergence as a democratic country under the leadership of József Antall, Prime Minister between 1990 and 1993. Since then, its representation has receded, with the party playing the role of junior coalition partner to Fidesz from 1998 to 2002, and in opposition otherwise.
It was a member of the Centrist Democrat International, and was a member of the European People's Party until 2009, when it joined the Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists. The MDF's one MEP, Lajos Bokros, sits with the ECR in the European Parliament.
Contents
History
Several members were shut out.[clarification needed][2]
Before 2002 it was part of a coalition government with the larger Fidesz. It had 24 seats in the National Assembly between 2002 and 2006.
In the 2004 European Parliamentary Elections it gained 5.3% (164,025 votes) of the vote and one of its members was elected as a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), sitting with the EPP-ED Group. MDF was a member of the European People's Party (EPP), but its MEP joined on 22 June 2009 the European Conservatives and Reformists group in the European Parliament instead of the EPP Group. This led to the party's suspension from the EPP.
It received 5.04% (272,831 votes) of the votes in the 2006 parliamentary elections, thus securing its place in the next Parliament.
MDF has essentially split, with the majority of its parliamentary representatives ousted from the party. Ibolya Dávid regularly accuses Fidesz, the largest conservative force in Hungary of trying to annex her party. The two parties had a bitter quarrel following the first round of the 2006 parliamentary elections on the possible withdrawal of MDF candidates to support the Fidesz: the presidency of the party decided not to do this. However, a number of MDF candidates decided to withdraw at their own discretion.
On 8 October 2009, Ibolya Dávid was a guest speaker at the annual conference of the British Conservative Party, to confirm a long term strategic alliance between the two parties in Europe.
Parliamentary representation
Year Vote percentage Seats Popular votes Ruling parties 1990 24.73% 164 1,214,359 MDF-FKGP-KDNP 1994 11.73% 38 633,157 MSZP-SZDSZ 1998 2.8% 17 127,118 FIDESZ-FKGP-MDF 2002 (together with FIDESZ) 41.07% 188 (24) 2,306,763 MSZP-SZDSZ 2006 5.04% 11 272,831 MSZP-SZDSZ 2010 2.67% 0 136,895 FIDESZ-KDNP Note: In 2002 the party had a joint list with Fidesz. The number of seats won by MDF is shown in parentheses.
MDF European Parliamentary Group
- Lajos Bokros
Footnotes
- ^ Ramet, Sabrina P. (2010), Central and Southeast European Politics Since 1989, Cambridge University Press, p. 80, http://books.google.de/books?id=oFXdiS25N78C&pg=PA78&dq=vmro-dpmne+national+conservative&hl=de&ei=MZfGTum1Ocrvsganus2KBw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CFEQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q&f=false, retrieved 17 November 2011
- ^ (Hungarian)Index: Öt képviselőt kizártak az MDF-frakcióból
External links
Political parties in HungaryRepresented in the
National Assembly (386)Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union (227) · Hungarian Socialist Party (48) · Jobbik – Movement for a Better Hungary (46) · Christian Democratic People's Party (36) · LMP – Politics Can Be Different (15) · Independent (14)Not represented in the Parliament* Hungarian Democratic Forum (2.67 %) · Civil Movement (0.89 %) · Hungarian Communist Workers' Party (0.11 %) · Hungarian Social Democratic Party (0.08 %)
* Limit for parties to join the National Assembly in Hungary is 5 % of popular votesRepresented in the
European Parliament (22)Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union and Christian Democratic People's Party (14) · Hungarian Socialist Party (4) · Jobbik – Movement for a Better Hungary (3) · Hungarian Democratic Forum (1)Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists 
Conservative Party (25 MEPs) · 
Law and Justice (11) · 
Civic Democratic Party (9) · Poland Comes First (3) · 
Electoral Action of Poles in Lithuania (1) · Hungarian Democratic Forum (1) · 
Libertarian, Direct, Democratic (1) · Ulster Unionist Party (1) · 
Independence Party · 
Alternative Democratic Reform Party · 
Civic Conservative PartyEuropean Conservatives and Reformists · Movement for European Reform · New DirectionCategories:- Defunct political parties in Hungary
- Political parties established in 1987
- Political parties disestablished in 2011
- Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists member parties
- European Conservatives and Reformists member parties
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