Socialists get second chance

Budapest

Hungarians re-elected a government last week for the first time since the fall of communism in 1989. The country is struggling under a massive budget deficit, and the ruling center-left bloc, led by the Socialists, seemed politically vulnerable after its first term in office. But the right-wing opposition campaigned on a theme of populist nationalism that did not appeal to Western-looking Hungarians, and the Socialists came away victorious. “We have to create a better, more successful Hungary that is better to live in,” said Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, a charismatic millionaire businessman. He has promised a gentle economic reform plan, saying he will cut spending and health-care costs, but slowly.

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