Opposition Wins Hungary Parliament Seat in Free Election

The opposition Saturday won its first seat in Parliament, beating the Communist Party in the country’s first free local elections in 42 years.

The results of four by-elections, announced on Hungarian Television, raise the possibility of a rout for the ruling Communists in free elections due by mid-1990--Hungary’s first national multi-party poll since 1947.

In Godollo, 20 miles northeast of Budapest, Gabor Roszik of the nationalist Hungarian Democratic Forum polled more than 69% of the votes to become the first elected opposition member of Parliament.

The Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party (Communist Party) candidate won nearly 30% of the votes.

“It’s a wonderful feeling,” said Roszik, 35, a Protestant priest.

He had been backed by an opposition alliance of the Hungarian Democratic Forum and two radical Western-oriented groups--the Alliance of Free Democrats (AFD) and the independent youth group FIDESZ.

The Democratic Forum and the Alliance have said they will turn into political parties after a law is passed by Parliament this fall.

The Democratic Forum candidate also polled 60% of the vote against one rival in southern Szeged and 47.3% against five other candidates in Kecskemet.

But turnouts of under 50% of the electorate in both places mean the polls must be held again.

Harvest, Vacations Blamed

Kecskemet officials blamed the harvest and summer vacation rather than apathy for the low voting figures.

Only in Kiskunfelegyhaza did the Communist candidate come out on top, polling 44.8% against 24.6% for the Democratic Forum and 29.6% for the officially backed People’s Patriotic Front.

A second round will decide who is elected to Parliament.

The Democratic Forum, founded by a circle of populist writers less than two years ago as an unofficial organization, now has more than 13,000 members.

People interviewed by reporters at polling stations in Godollo indicated that many votes for Roszik--who campaigned on a platform for an independent and democratic welfare society--were cast as a protest against the Communist Party.

Gaborne Nagy, a retired secretary who supported the Smallholders’ Party before the Communists suppressed all their rivals four decades ago, said she could never vote Communist however good the candidate.

Some support for Roszik was simply a vote for choice.

“It’s not correct to have just one party,” said Jozsef Illyes, 68. “That is dictatorship.”

Defeated Communist Party candidate Laszlo Korosfoi, a 56-year-old local teacher, told Hungarian Television: “A significant part of votes for the opposition were cast against the party.”

He said he thought the Godollo election result would make the party Central Committee reconsider “ambiguous and conflicting statements” which had harmed the credibility of members such as himself.

A recent opinion poll gave the party a confidence rating of only 24% and found that just 36.5% of the electorate would vote Communist in parliamentary elections.