Most–Híd

Bridge 2023
Most–Híd 2023
AbbreviationMost–Híd 2023
ChairmanLászló Sólymos
Founded30 June 2009 (first)
14 June 2004 (second, as MKDA-MKDSZ)[1]
18 May 2023 (second, as Most–Híd 2023)[2]
Dissolved2 October 2021 (first)
Split fromParty of the Hungarian Coalition (first)
Party of Civic Understanding (second, as MKDA-MKDSZ)
Preceded byMKDA-MKDSZ (second, legally)
HeadquartersTrnavská cesta 37 831 04 Bratislava
Membership (2020)5,516 (Decrease 31)[3]
IdeologyLiberal conservatism[4][5]
Hungarian minority interests[5][6]
Pro-Europeanism[7]
Political positionCentre[8] to centre-right[9]
National affiliationAliancia (2021–2023)
with Modrí, Most–Híd (2023)
European affiliationEuropean People's Party (2013-2021; first)
European Free Alliance (2014-2023; second, as MKDA-MKDSZ)
Colours  Orange
National Council
0 / 150
European Parliament
0 / 15
Website
www.mosthid.sk

Most–Híd 2023 (Slovak pronunciation: [ˈmɔst ˈɦiːt], Hungarian: [ˈmost ˈhiːd]; from the Slovak and Hungarian words for "bridge") is an inter-ethnic political party in Slovakia. Its programme calls for greater cooperation between the country's Hungarian minority and ethnic Slovak majority. It was one of four parties in the Fico III government coalition, but lost all its seats in the National Council in the 2020 Slovak parliamentary election.

The party was formed in June 2009 by dissidents from the Party of the Hungarian Coalition (SMK-MKP), which they accused of being too nationalistic. Most–Híd seeks to offer an alternative to ethnic politics by promoting inter-ethnic cooperation. Led by the SMK-MKP's former chairman Béla Bugár, the party claimed to have an electorate that is two-thirds ethnic Hungarian and one-third ethnic Slovak. The party remerged with SMK-MKP into a smaller Hungarian minority party (MKÖ-MKS) in late 2021 to form the Alliance, before leaving and joining the party The Blues – European Slovakia, which was named Modrí, Most–Híd for the parliamentary election in 2023.

History

Logo of the first Most–Híd (2009 – 2021)

The party was established on 30 June 2009 by Béla Bugár, Gábor Gál, László A. Nagy (former leader of the MPP/MOS), Tibor Bastrnák and Zsolt Simon, who had previously left the Party of the Hungarian Coalition (SMK-MKP). Béla Bugár, who had also been the president of his former party for 10 years, was elected its president. It was established as an inter-ethnic Hungarian-Slovak alternative to the Party of the Hungarian Coalition. This commitment was cemented by electing Rudolf Chmel, an ethnic Slovak, as one of the party's vice presidents representing.

The party sought to represent the interests of the ethnic Hungarians while working together with the Slovaks.[10] According to Peter Huncik about 60 to 65 percent members were Hungarians, while 35 to 40 were Slovaks.[11] This programme and political ideology manifested itself in the party first taking part in the centre-right Radičová-government between 2010 and 2012, and also cooperating with the centre-left Fico government in minority issues in the next electoral cycle.

Polls from mid-September 2009 gave Most–Híd between 3 and 5.6 percent of the vote.[12] An opinion poll by Focus in May 2010 gave Most–Híd 5.6% of the vote.[13] In the 2010 election, the party received 8.12% of the popular vote, and thus won fourteen seats in the National Council. This, however, included four seats for Civic Conservative Party politicians running within the party's list of candidates. At the same time, Most–Híd's main rival, SMK-MKP, fell short of the 5% threshold and thus did not gain any seats.

In 2010, Most–Híd entered the four-party government of Iveta Radičová, and sought to advance its agenda, including in language rights, citizenship, agriculture and environmental policy. The government, however, turned out to be unstable and finally collapsed during October 2011, leading to snap elections. After months of steady polling between 6 and 9 percents, the party received 6.89% of the popular vote in the 2012 elections, winning 13 seats. As in 2010, SMK-MKP failed to reach the required threshold, leaving Most–Híd as the only parliamentary party representing the interest of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia.

In the 2014 European elections, Most–Híd came in eighth place nationally, receiving 5.83% of the vote and electing 1 MEP.[14]

In the 2016 Slovak parliamentary election, Most–Híd received 6.50% of the vote – 11 seats – and joined Fico's Third Cabinet as a coalition partner.

In the 2019 European election, Most–Híd fell to 2.59% and behind their rival SMK-MKP losing their only MEP. A year later in the 2020 parliamentary election, Most–Híd only got 2.05% losing their representation in parliament.

In 2021 it merged with SMK-MKP into MKÖ-MKS to form Alliance. In 2023, a few months before the election, however they left the united party again over a dispute about allowing former OĽaNO MP György Gyimesi on the list.[15] They regained their status as a party after Hungarian Christian Democratic Alliance (MKDA-MKDSZ), established in 2004, renamed themselves. On 18 May 2023, the Most–Híd party (under the name Most-Híd 2023) announced cooperation with The Blues party.[16] On 25 May 2023, the party was officially renamed to Modrí, Most–Híd for the parliamentary election in 2023.[17]

Election results

As Most–Híd

National Council

Election Votes % Seats +/– Government
2010 205,538 8.12 (#5)
14 / 150
 Coalition
2012 176,088 6.89 (#4)
13 / 150
 Decrease 1 Opposition
2016 169,593 6.50 (#7)
11 / 150
 Decrease 2 Coalition
2020 59,174 2.05 (#13)
0 / 150
 Decrease 11 Extra-parliamentary

European Parliament

Election Votes % Seats +/–
2014 32,708 5.83 (#8)
1 / 13
2019 25,562 2.59 (#11)
0 / 13
 Decrease 1

Presidential

Election Candidate First round Second round Result
Votes % Votes %
2014 Pavol Hrušovský 63,298 3.30 Lost
2019 Béla Bugár 66,667 3.10 Lost

As MKDA-MKDSZ

National Council

Election Votes % Seats +/– Government
2012 3,963 0.16 (#23)
0 / 150
 Extra-parliamentary
2016 2,426 0.09 (#21)
0 / 150
 Steady 0 Extra-parliamentary

European Parliament

Election Votes % Seats +/–
2014 1,170 0.21 (#28)
0 / 13
2019 2,270 0.23 (#23)
0 / 13
 Steady 0

As Most–Híd 2023

National Council

Election Votes % Seats +/– Government
2023 7,935* 0.27* (#15)*
0 / 150
 Extra-parliamentary

* the politicians of Most–Híd 2023 ran on The Blues – European Slovakia candidate list, under the name Modrí, Most–Híd.

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Register of Political Parties and Political Movements". ives.minv.sk. Retrieved 20 December 2023.[permanent dead link‍]
  2. ^ "Híd 2023 lett a régi-új párt neve". parameter.sk. 18 May 2023. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  3. ^ https://www.minv.sk/swift_data/source/statna_komisia_pre_volby/30_annual_report/ar2019/VS_42171229_I_20200730.pdf [bare URL PDF]
  4. ^ Stískala, Jozef (2012), "Party System of Slovak Republic and its Stability after 2010 and 2012 Elections in Comparative Perspective", Slovak Journal of Political Sciences, 12 (3): 233, doi:10.2478/sjps-2013-0007, S2CID 54032331
  5. ^ a b Nordsieck, Wolfram (2020). "Slovakia". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 4 March 2020.
  6. ^ Ladislav Cabada; Vít Hloušek; Petr Jurek (23 January 2014). Party Systems in East Central Europe. Lexington Books. p. 89. ISBN 978-0-7391-8277-2.
  7. ^ most-hid-regiony.sk, Strana Most - Híd a Európska ľudová strana (PDF) (in Slovak), retrieved 29 May 2017
  8. ^ Iveta Radicová Takes Charge of New Center-Right Coalition in Slovakia, Friends of Slovakia, archived from the original on 4 March 2016, retrieved 11 March 2012
  9. ^ "Most-Híd agrees to talk, centre-right coalition in sight". Spectator.sme.sk. 9 March 2016. Retrieved 29 January 2019.
  10. ^ Kommentar posten (30 June 2009). "Neue Partei der "Ungarischen Koalition" – Slowakei – derStandard.at " International". Derstandard.at. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  11. ^ Stefan Bos (12 June 2010). "Slovakia Votes Amid Scandals, Nationalist Tensions". Budapest: .voanews.com. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  12. ^ Kommentar posten. "Umfragen: Regierungspartei Smer verliert – Slowakei – derStandard.at " International". Derstandard.at. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  13. ^ "The Slovak Spectator: Focus poll finds that parliamentary elections would end in stalemate". Spectator.sme.sk. 21 May 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2011.
  14. ^ "Elections to the European Parliament 2014". Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  15. ^ "PÁRTSZAKADÁS: A Híd kilép a Szövetségből". 16 May 2023. Retrieved 16 May 2023.
  16. ^ "MKDA sa premenovala na Most-Híd 2023, bude spolupracovať s Modrými". TASR. 18 May 2023. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  17. ^ "Register politických strán a politických hnutí". Ministerstvo vnútra SR. Archived from the original on 29 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.