Forum (Slovak political party) explained

Forum
Native Name:Fórum
Native Name Lang:hu; sk
Abbreviation:MF
Chairman:Zsolt Simon
Leader1 Title:Deputy Chairpersons
Leader1 Name:Zsolt Gál
Attila Mikolai
Split:Most–Híd
Membership Year:2023
Membership:48 [1]
Position:Centre-right
Headquarters:Padarovce 82, 98023 Padarovce
Colours: Red
White
Green
Seats1 Title:National Council
Seats2 Title:European Parliament
Seats3 Title:Regional governors
Seats4 Title:Regional deputies
Seats5 Title:Mayors[2]
Seats6 Title:Local councillors
Website:
Country:Slovakia

The Forum (between 2019 and 2023 known as the Hungarian Forum ; ; styled as Magyar Fórum – Maďarské fórum; MF) is a Slovak political party which was established on 28 February 2019. Its founder and chairman is the former minister and politician of SMK–MKP and Most–Híd, Member of the National Council, Zsolt Simon.

The main goal of the party is to ensure the parliamentary representation of Hungarians in Slovakia and to use it as a tool for actions so that people from the Hungarian community are equal citizens of a democratic Slovakia.[3]

History

The party was founded in February 2019 by Zsolt Simon, a non-attached member of the National Council of the Slovak Republic, who resigned from the Most–Híd party in 2016 due to its entry into the governing coalition with the Smer-SD and SNS parties.[4]

Prior to the 2020 elections, the party intensively negotiated a joint list of candidates with the remaining four parties of the Hungarian minority (SMK-MKP, MOST-HÍD, MKDA-MKDSZ and Spolupatričnosť), but by the end of October 2019 the parties had not reached an agreement.[5] The problem is a different view of the possibility of cooperation with current government parties. The Hungarian Forum refuses to cooperate with SMER, SNS and ĽSNS.[3] [4] If there is no joint coalition candidacy of all five parties, the Hungarian Forum wants to run with the SMK and the Co-operation under the name Hungarian Community Co-operation.[6] In November 2019, they announced that they were preparing a three-party coalition with the SMK and the MKÖ-MKS.[7]

Party program

The party has as its priorities a change in the preamble of the Constitution of Slovakia, a change in the financing of local governments, as well as a change in the territorial and legal division of the country (counties, districts).[3] The Hungarian Forum wants to push for the southern regions to receive an average amount of public investment and expenditure, from infrastructure development, through the support of industrial parks and private investment, to the promotion of Hungarian cultural life. In the cultural field, it requires the unrestricted use of the Hungarian mother tongue, both verbally and in writing, in the regions where the minority lives, and in official relations its equivalence with the official Slovak language.

Presidency currently up to 6 November 2019:[8]

Election results

National Council

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://www.minv.sk/swift_data/source/statna_komisia_pre_volby/30_annual_report/ar2022/VS22_MF.pdf
  2. News: A településeken erős a Szövetség . hu . The Alliance is strong in the municipalities . Új Szó . Czímer . Gábor . Bratislava . 30 October 2022 . 1 November 2022.
  3. Web site: Naše princípy a ciele. madarskeforum.sk.
  4. 2019-01-11. Zsolt Simon zakladá novú stranu: Chceme alternatívu pre Maďarov. Hospodarske Noviny . MAFRA Slovakia. 1336-1996.
  5. News: 2019-10-31. Most Híd ukončil rokovania s maďarskými stranami. SME . Petit Press. 1335-4418.
  6. 2019-10-31. Maďarské fórum, SMK a Spolupatričnosť sa dohodli na spoločnej kandidátke. Perex. 1336-197X.
  7. 2019-11-05. SMK, MF a Spolupatričnosť sa chcú čo najskôr dohodnúť na tvorbe kandidátky. Perex. 1336-197X.
  8. Web site: Predsedníctvo. madarskeforum.sk.