Hungarian Workers' Party

{{Short description|Communist party in Hungary}}

{{For|the political party in the 1920s|Hungarian Workers' Party (defunct)}}

{{Expand Hungarian|topic=gov|Magyar Munkáspárt|date=February 2014}}

{{Infobox political party

| name = Hungarian Workers' Party

| native_name = Magyar Munkáspárt

| native_name_lang = hu

| logo = Hungarian Workers' Party logo.png

| logo_size =

| colorcode = {{party color|Hungarian Workers' Party}}

| flag =

| leader =

| chairman = Gyula Thürmer

| foundation = {{start date|df=yes|1989|12|17}}

| slogan = "Workers of the world, unite!"

| split = Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party

| ideology = {{ubl|class=nowrap

| Communism{{cite web|url=http://www.parties-and-elections.de/hungary.html|title=Hungary |last=Nordsieck |first=Wolfram |website=Parties and Elections in Europe |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040405031148/http://www.parties-and-elections.de/hungary.html |archive-date=5 April 2004 |access-date=20 April 2019}}

| Marxism–Leninism

| Left-wing nationalismhttps://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fm.munkaspart%2Fposts%2F2071874786260043https://www.facebook.com/m.munkaspart/posts/2071874786260043

| Social conservatismhttps://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmunkaspart.hu%2Fmi-ti-2%2F5754-a-lego-a-liberalis-politikaval-tomi-a-gyermekeink-fejet

| Kádárism (alleged){{cite web|url=https://mandiner.hu/belfold/2023/04/kadar-janos-ellenzek|title=Megkérdeztük Kádár János rajongóit, mit gondolnak az ellenzékről|date=27 April 2023 }}

}}

| national = Leftist Alliance

| headquarters = 1046 Budapest, Munkácsy Mihály u. 51/a

| international = IMCWP
WAP{{cite web|url=https://wap21.org/?p=566|title=Paris Declaration: The rising tide of global war and the tasks of anti-imperialists|work=World Anti-Imperialist Platform|date=14 October 2022|accessdate=29 November 2023}}

| website = {{URL|http://www.munkaspart.hu/}}

| country = Hungary

| position = Far-left{{Citation |first=Ian |last=Jeffries |title=Eastern Europe at the Turn of the Twenty-First Century: A guide to the economies in transition |publisher=Routledge |year=2002 |page=212}}

| european = INITIATIVE (2013–2023)

| europarl =

| colours = {{Colorbox|{{party color|Hungarian Workers' Party}}|border=darkgray}} Red

| newspaper = A Szabadság

| youth_wing = Baloldali Front

| seats1 = {{Composition bar|0|199|hex={{party color|Hungarian Workers' Party}}}}

| seats1_title = National Assembly

| seats2_title = European Parliament

| seats2 = {{Composition bar|0|21|hex={{party color|Hungarian Workers' Party}}}}

| seats3_title = County Assemblies

| seats3 = {{Composition bar|0|381|hex={{party color|Hungarian Workers' Party}}}}

}}

{{Communist Parties}}

The Hungarian Workers' Party ({{langx|hu|Magyar Munkáspárt}}, {{IPA|hu|ˈmɒɟɒr ˈmuŋkaːʃpaːrt|pron}}) is a communist party in Hungary led by Gyula Thürmer. Established after the fall of the communist Hungarian People's Republic, the party has yet to win a seat in the Hungarian parliament. Until May 2009, it was a member of the Party of the European Left. It was formed from, and considers itself the successor to, the former ruling Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party. Despite having run in every parliamentary election since 1990, the party has never won seats.

History

The party was established as the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party on 17 December 1989 as a successor party of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (MSZMP) by a small group of old MSZMP members who opposed its transformation into the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP). Among them was Károly Grósz, the last general secretary of the old MSZMP, who became the new party's acting chairman

In the 1990 elections it received around 3% of the national vote, the largest share for a party that failed to win a seat.{{sfnp|Nohlen|Stöver|2010|p=924}}{{sfnp|Nohlen|Stöver|2010|p=932}}

In 1993 the party adopted the name Workers' Party, and in the same year a group of hard-liners broke away to form another Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party. In the 1994 elections, the party won a similar share of the vote, again emerging as the largest party without a seat. Despite increasing its vote share to around 4% in the 1998 elections, the party again remained seatless. In the 2002 elections, the party's vote share fell to around 2%, and for the first time since 1990, not the largest party without parliamentary representation.{{sfnp|Nohlen|Stöver|2010|p=924}}{{sfnp|Nohlen|Stöver|2010|p=932}}

On 12 November 2005 it became the Hungarian Communist Workers' Party when a split led to the formation of the Workers' Party of Hungary 2006 led by János Fratanolo. In the 2006 elections the party received less than 0.5% of the national vote, whilst in the 2010 elections, its vote share fell to just 0.1%. On 11 May 2013 the party was renamed again, this time becoming the Hungarian Workers' Party due to a law passed the previous year banning the public use of names associated with "authoritarian regimes of the 20th century."{{cite news|title=Hungarian CWP, New name of the Hungarian CWP |url=http://solidnet.org/hungary-hungarian-communist-workers-party/hungarian-cwp-new-name-of-the-hungarian-cwp-en-ru-sp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002052606/http://solidnet.org/hungary-hungarian-communist-workers-party/hungarian-cwp-new-name-of-the-hungarian-cwp-en-ru-sp|url-status=dead|archive-date=2 October 2016|access-date=September 18, 2018|newspaper=Solidnet|date=14 May 2013}} In the 2014 parliamentary election, the party received 0.56% of the votes, again the largest party without parliamentary seats.

Ideology

The party opposed Hungary joining NATO. In 1996 the party organised a countrywide collection of signatures for a referendum on NATO membership. This HCWP-led referendum drive failed, although another referendum on NATO membership was held in 1997, which resulted in a vote in favour. The party continues to oppose the country's participation in NATO and other military organisations. It campaigns to have all Hungarian forces returned from abroad and to reduce the military budget. The party opposed NATO campaigns in Yugoslavia against Slobodan Milošević and the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

On the question of the 2016 migrant quota referendum, the party called for a "no" vote, expressing opposition to what it perceives as "EU aggression" against Hungary.

Other foreign policies are in favour of

  • a peaceful and just settlement of the Middle East crisis, in favour of the "progressive" Arab countries.
  • a foreign policy based upon "good relations" with all parts of the world.

Election results

= National Assembly =

class="wikitable"
rowspan=2| Election

! rowspan=2| Leader

! colspan=2| SMCs

! colspan=2| MMCs

! rowspan=2| Seats

! rowspan=2| +/–

! rowspan=2| Status

Votes

! %

! Votes

! %

1990

| rowspan=6| Gyula Thürmer

| 131,444

| 2.65% (#9)

| 180,899

| 3.68% (#7)

| {{Composition bar|0|386|hex=#DD402F}}

| New

| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

1994

| 177,458

| 3.29% (#7)

| 172,117

| 3.19% (#7)

| {{Composition bar|0|386|hex=#DD402F}}

| {{steady}} 0

| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

1998

| 165,461

| 3.70% (#6)

| 183,071

| 4.08% (#6)

| {{Composition bar|0|386|hex=#DD402F}}

| {{steady}} 0

| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

2002

| 108,732

| 1.93% (#6)

| 121,503

| 2.16% (#6)

| {{Composition bar|0|386|hex=#DD402F}}

| {{steady}} 0

| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

2006

| 16,379

| 0.30% (#8)

| 21,955

| 0.41% (#6)

| {{Composition bar|0|386|hex=#DD402F}}

| {{steady}} 0

| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

2010

| 5,668

| 0.11% (#10)

| 5,606

| 0.11% (#7)

| {{Composition bar|0|386|hex=#DD402F}}

| {{steady}} 0

| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

rowspan=2| Election

! rowspan=2| Leader

! colspan=2| Constituency

! colspan=2| Party list

! rowspan=2| Seats

! rowspan=2| +/–

! rowspan=2| Status

Votes

! %

! Votes

! %

2014

| rowspan=3 | Gyula Thürmer

| 12,716

| 0.26% (#8)

| 28,323

| 0.56% (#5)

| {{Composition bar|0|199|hex=#DD402F}}

| {{steady}} 0

| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

2018

| 13,613

| 0.25% (#9)

| 15,640

| 0.27% (#10)

| {{Composition bar|0|199|hex=#DD402F}}

| {{steady}} 0

| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

2022{{efn|Run within Leftist Alliance (ISZOMM-MMP).}}

| 8,678

| 0.16% (#7)

| colspan=2 {{N/A}}

| {{Composition bar|0|199|hex=#DD402F}}

| {{steady}} 0

| {{no|Extra-parliamentary}}

{{Notelist}}

= [[European Parliament]] =

class=wikitable
Election year

! # of overall votes

! % of overall vote

! # of overall seats won

! +/-

! Notes

2004

| 56,221

| 1.83% (6th)

| {{Composition bar|0|24|hex=#DD402F}}

|

|

2009

| 27,829

| 0.96% (7th)

| {{Composition bar|0|22|hex=#DD402F}}

| {{steady}} 0

|

2019

| 14,452

| 0.42% (9th)

| {{Composition bar|0|21|hex=#DD402F}}

| {{steady}} 0

|

Gallery

File:Logo of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party (1989-1993).svg|Logo from 1989 to 1993

File:Logo of the Workers' Party of Hungary (1993-2005).svg|Logo from 1993 to 2005

File:Magyar Kommunista Munkáspárt old logo.svg|Logo from 2005 to 2013

File:Flag of the Hungarian Communist Workers' Party.svg|Flag from 1993 to 2013

Notes

{{Reflist}}

References

  • {{cite book|last1=Nohlen|first1=D.|author1-link=Dieter Nohlen|last2=Stöver|first2=P.|year=2010|title=Elections in Europe: A data handbook |location=Baden-Baden |publisher=Nomos |isbn=978-3-8329-5609-7}}