Thousands of demonstrators demand early elections in Hungary

Crowds of demonstrators, chiefly supporters of right wing parties, gathered for a peaceful rally in Budapest yesterday to call for early elections.

The demonstrators, estimated to number between 50,000 and 60,000 and displaying rightwing symbols, gathered not far from the city centre to demand early elections to resolve the crisis created by the resignation on March 21 of the Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany.

The crowd shouted its support for the 12-point programme of the demonstration which includes "banning those responsible for misleading the country from public life," "re-establishing the honour of work" and "supporting education and health care".

Protesters asked for God's blessing on Hungary and referred to an "unnameable international power" directing Hungary, according to one of the organisers, architect Imre Makovecz.

He added that further protests would be staged if the demonstrators' demands were not heeded.

According to the local far-right antisemitic press, the country's leadership are in fact undercover agents of Israel.

Organisers of the demonstration sent a letter to Hungary's President Laszlo Solyom to demand the dissolution of parliament.

Earlier yesterday the country's ruling Socialist Party had overwhelmingly backed the apppointment of Economy Minister Gordon Bajnai as the new Prime Minister.

The 188-member socialist parliamentary group is to hand in a motion of no-confidence against Mr Gyurcsany in the 386-member Hungarian Parliament today.

Together with their former allies the liberals, the two groups have a majority to pass the motion necessary to vote Mr Gyurcsany out and Mr Bajnai in.

By the vote of no-confidence, the two parties can avoid holding early elections as they are both lagging in opinion polls because of the deepening recession hitting Hungary.

The vote is set to take place on April 14.