PARTIAL CONSOLIDATION OF THE EAST-CENTRAL-EUROPEAN PARTIES - THE CASEOF THE HUNGARIAN SOCIALIST-PARTY

The Hungarian party system is stable and only moderately fragmented. T he Hungarian Socialist Party, the largest party after the 1994 electio ns in the Hungarian parliament, shows some features that illustrate pa rtial consolidation of the east-central European parties, since these features can also be observed in some other (Polish and Czech) parties . The Hungarian Socialist Party has a rather large national organizati on and disciplined membership, with a relatively firm relationship to some social strata (intelligentsia, professionals and white-collar wor kers, on the one hand, and some working-class groups on the other). It s electoral victory and its role as the major partner in the incumbent coalition, however, have created some new problems for the party, but most probably even under this pressure of high expectations it can ma intain its relative consolidation.