Budapest
Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany refused to resign this week, following several days of anti-government protests and riots in Budapest. The protests began after the Socialist prime minister was caught on tape telling his party that he was “tired of lying” about the economy and that his government had, in fact, done little but lie since taking office. The conservative opposition called for Gyurcsany to resign. But the Socialists said Gyurcsany was merely trying to rally the party to accept tough economic reforms. Neither side has come out particularly well. Gyurcsany was accused of arrogance for refusing to apologize, while opposition leader Viktor Orban was accused of encouraging the violent protests. The demonstrations finally subsided after nearly a week.
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