According to a recent survey of the Nézőpont Institute, while two-thirds (67 percent) of left-wing voters, three-quarters (71 percent) of the hidden left-wing voters who are representing the opposition’s reserve do not want to see Ferenc Gyurcsány in an important political position. Thus, one of the biggest dilemmas of the left is still the person of Ferenc Gyurcsány. Among active voters, the rejection of the former head of government has remained unbroken (84 percent).

On the occasion of the Democratic Coalition (DK) President’s annual evaluation speech, the Nézőpont Institute has conducted a survey on the former prime minister’s public perception. The consequences of the “lie speech”, which became known as the “Őszöd speech”, are still shaping the perception of the left-wing coalition leader. The figures show that the last 16 years have not been enough to restore the public’s confidence in him.

Only a tenth of active voters (11 percent) would like to see Ferenc Gyurcsány in an important political position, while more than four-fifths (84 percent) would prefer to keep him away from important public positions. Not surprisingly, 97 percent of Fidesz voters do not want the DK party leader to hold an important position again. Two thirds (67 percent) of left-wing voters either do not want Ferenc Gyurcsány to hold an important political role again, and only a quarter (24 percent) would like to see him in the public scene.

The main question of the April elections is whether the hidden voters who are the reserve of the left-wing camp are willing to vote for the coalition coordinated by Ferenc Gyurcsány. Among them, the perception of the failed head of government is even worse: nearly three quarters (71 percent) are reluctant to see him returning to power, and only a tenth (9 percent) would like to see him in an important position again. The person of Ferenc Gyurcsány remains one of the biggest dilemmas of the left-wing campaign, which suggests that a change in the opposition leadership might be necessary for a successful left-wing mobilisation and vote maximisation. Since Péter Márki-Zay is not leading but following the opposition negotiations coordinated by the Gyurcsány party, it is a question whether the “captain” (Ferenc Gyurcsány’s expression) can successfully divert the left-wing voter camp’s attention from the divisive person of Ferenc Gyurcsány.

Methodology

The latest poll of the Nézőpont Institute was conducted between 7 and 9 of February, 2022, by interviewing 1,000 respondents by phone. For all surveys, the sample is representative of the adult population (18 years and older) by gender, age, region, type of settlement and education. In case of a sample size of 1000 respondents and a confidence level of 95 percent, the sampling error is ± 3.16 percent.