Hungary's Premier Offers His Resignation
在经济困境日渐加剧的形势下，匈牙利总理久尔恰尼(Ferenc Gyurcsany)周六出人意料地提出辞职。在匈牙利正在应对尖锐的财政危机之际，久尔恰尼所在的社会党内部在政府开支削减力度问题上的分歧也在加深。现在还不清楚久尔恰尼何时甚至是否会离职。久尔恰尼周六在党内大会上发表讲话时提议，社会党两周内选出一位新总理人选，不过，目前没有很明显的继任者。久尔恰尼从政前是位富有的商人。新总理需获得议会的多数票支持。自从去年4月社会党与另一左翼政党组建的执政联盟瓦解以来，社会党一直作为少数派在执政。Reuters久尔恰尼在一个记者招待会上在欧洲政坛，久尔恰尼一直主张由西方国家对陷入困境的东欧国家实施地区性救助，但这一主张少有人响应。批评人士认为，他提出的1,800亿欧元（合2,440亿美元）救助计划让匈牙利显得孤立而脆弱。匈牙利的确处境艰难。去年10月全球信贷形势开始吃紧后，匈牙利突然难以发售债券弥补财政赤字。政府被迫从国际货币基金组织(International Monetary Fund)世界银行(World Bank)和欧盟(European Union)获得250亿美元贷款。资本外逃导致匈牙利弗林特汇率大幅下跌，进一步加大了匈牙利的融资难度，并让许多在之前数年经济繁荣期借入外币贷款的匈牙利房主和企业受到挤压。这场政治骚动有可能对匈牙利国内金融市场造成震动，这些市场自去年10月以来就处在抛压之下。虽然市场对贷款损失加剧感到担忧，但匈牙利市场上的各家银行（其中许多银行属于外资银行旗下分支机构）纷纷向市场保证，它们的状况是健康的。久尔恰尼曾被赞誉为一位支持市场和企业的左翼政治家，但在政治上他受到改革派和他所在社会党保守党员的两面夹击。改革派敦促他大力削减养老金和其他政府开支项目，而保守派非常依赖退休人员和国有企业员工的支持。久尔恰尼的努力结果是两头不讨好。久尔恰尼周六在讲话中说，如果我已成为改革的障碍，那么我将清除这一障碍。他承认自己近年来作为政府领导人犯了些错误，并说自己的威望因此受到严重损害。他说，我错误估计了我们的实力和我们的潜力。在重大时刻我未能提出明确主张；我的威信也因此受到严重损害。其中损害最严重的是2006年一次被记录下来的讲话。当时他承认，在使他得以当选总理的那次选举前，政府对国家的经济状况“没日没夜地”在撒谎。不过久尔恰尼坚持下来了，部分原因是他在社会党内部已成为对抗右翼反对派的最大希望。布达佩斯Progressive Institute分析师麦格雅(Kornelia Magyar)说，社会党或许难以找到一位新总理。该党有可能在2010年大选之前组建一个由专家组成的看守政府，但久尔恰尼有较大可能会重返政府。Charles Forelle / Edith Balazs相关阅读欧洲复兴开发银行扩大对东欧援助 2009-03-19东欧国家的沟通失误 2009-03-05
Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany offered unexpectedly to resign Saturday amid deepening economic hardship and a growing divide within his Socialist party over how deeply to cut state spending as the country wrestles with an acute fiscal crisis.When or even whether Mr. Gyurcsany, a wealthy businessman-turned-politician, will leave office wasn't clear. In a speech Saturday to a party congress, he proposed that the party nominate a new prime minister in two weeks -- but there is no obvious successor.A new prime minister would require majority support in Parliament; the Socialists have been governing as a minority since the dissolution of their coalition with another left-leaning party in April.On the European stage, Mr. Gyurcsany has -- with few allies -- taken up the banner for a regional bailout by Western countries of troubled Eastern Europe. Critics say his proposals for a 180 billion euros ($244 billion) bailout have left Hungary looking alone and weak.In truth, the country is in dire straits. As credit froze around the globe last October, Hungary was suddenly unable to sell bonds to finance its deficits. The government was forced to secure a $25 billion credit facility from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Union.Capital flight out of Hungary has dragged its currency, the forint, down substantially, further complicating efforts to refinance the country's debt -- and squeezing many Hungarian homeowners and businesses who took out loans in foreign currency during the boom years earlier in the decade.The political turmoil is likely to shake domestic financial markets, which have been under selling pressure since October. Hungarian banks -- many of which have foreign parents -- have been rushing to assure the markets that they are sound despite fears of mounting loan losses.Mr. Gyurcsany once was hailed as a market- and business-friendly politician on the left. But he has been hemmed in politically by reformers urging more drastic cuts to pensions and other items of state spending, and by traditional members of his own party who rely heavily on support from pensioners and state workers. His efforts have pleased few.'If I'm the obstacle to change then I'll eliminate this obstacle,' Mr. Gyurcsany said in his speech Saturday. He admitted to having made several mistakes in recent years as head of government and said his credibility had been severely marred by them.'I have been mistaken regarding our power and our possibilities. In moments of great importance I've failed to speak up clearly; my credibility has therefore been seriously damaged,' he said.Most damaging were 2006 remarks caught on tape in which he admitted the government had lied 'night and day' about the state of the economy ahead of elections in which he was returned to power.Nonetheless, My. Gyurcsany survived, in part because he has been seen in the party as its greatest hope for holding off the right-leaning opposition.'The Socialists are probably not going to be able to find a new prime minister,' says Kornelia Magyar, an analyst at the Progressive Institute in Budapest. It is possible that the party will propose a caretaker government of experts before 2010 elections, but 'I give a bigger chance that Gyurcsany is going to come back.'Charles Forelle / Edith Balazs
Hungarian Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany offered unexpectedly to resign Saturday amid deepening economic hardship and a growing divide within his Socialist party over how deeply to cut state spending as the country wrestles with an acute fiscal crisis.When or even whether Mr. Gyurcsany, a wealthy businessman-turned-politician, will leave office wasn't clear. In a speech Saturday to a party congress, he proposed that the party nominate a new prime minister in two weeks -- but there is no obvious successor.A new prime minister would require majority support in Parliament; the Socialists have been governing as a minority since the dissolution of their coalition with another left-leaning party in April.On the European stage, Mr. Gyurcsany has -- with few allies -- taken up the banner for a regional bailout by Western countries of troubled Eastern Europe. Critics say his proposals for a 180 billion euros ($244 billion) bailout have left Hungary looking alone and weak.In truth, the country is in dire straits. As credit froze around the globe last October, Hungary was suddenly unable to sell bonds to finance its deficits. The government was forced to secure a $25 billion credit facility from the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Union.Capital flight out of Hungary has dragged its currency, the forint, down substantially, further complicating efforts to refinance the country's debt -- and squeezing many Hungarian homeowners and businesses who took out loans in foreign currency during the boom years earlier in the decade.The political turmoil is likely to shake domestic financial markets, which have been under selling pressure since October. Hungarian banks -- many of which have foreign parents -- have been rushing to assure the markets that they are sound despite fears of mounting loan losses.Mr. Gyurcsany once was hailed as a market- and business-friendly politician on the left. But he has been hemmed in politically by reformers urging more drastic cuts to pensions and other items of state spending, and by traditional members of his own party who rely heavily on support from pensioners and state workers. His efforts have pleased few.'If I'm the obstacle to change then I'll eliminate this obstacle,' Mr. Gyurcsany said in his speech Saturday. He admitted to having made several mistakes in recent years as head of government and said his credibility had been severely marred by them.'I have been mistaken regarding our power and our possibilities. In moments of great importance I've failed to speak up clearly; my credibility has therefore been seriously damaged,' he said.Most damaging were 2006 remarks caught on tape in which he admitted the government had lied 'night and day' about the state of the economy ahead of elections in which he was returned to power.Nonetheless, My. Gyurcsany survived, in part because he has been seen in the party as its greatest hope for holding off the right-leaning opposition.'The Socialists are probably not going to be able to find a new prime minister,' says Kornelia Magyar, an analyst at the Progressive Institute in Budapest. It is possible that the party will propose a caretaker government of experts before 2010 elections, but 'I give a bigger chance that Gyurcsany is going to come back.'Charles Forelle / Edith Balazs