Hungarian parties to merge into one

The heads of the extra-parliamentary ethnic-Hungarian parties Most-Híd, Hungarian Coalition Party (SMK) and Solidarity are set to sign a declaration on forming one joint political party on August 20. "We are in favour of forming one joint party that will represent all Hungarians in Slovakia. The situation that has been going on here for 11 years, which have been marked by quarrels and hostility between the two traditional ethnic-Hungarian parties, needs to end. Our supporters are not interested in old disputes, they want to see new unity. A united party representing Hungarians in Slovakia must be set up at the latest within a year," said the head of Solidarity Mózes Szabolcs. Most-Híd recently released the results of a certain survey according to which approximately 70% of Slovak Hungarians expect ethnic-Hungarian parties to merge into one party. According to Most- Híd head László Sólymos, the first step on the road is to find a proper form for cooperation. "We need a vision, strategy and specific solutions for specific problems," noted Sólymos. Talks on the form of the new party are set to begin in the next few days.