en.wikipedia.org/wiki/End_of_communism_in_Hungary
3 corrections found
the ruling Hungarian Working People's Party (MSZMP).
MSZMP did not stand for the Hungarian Working People's Party. In 1989, MSZMP was the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party; the Hungarian Working People’s Party was the earlier MDP, which ended in 1956.
Full reasoning
This sentence misidentifies the party behind the acronym MSZMP.
Historical sources distinguish between two different communist parties in Hungary:
- the Hungarian Working People's Party (Magyar Dolgozók Pártja, MDP), which ruled until 1956; and
- the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party (Magyar Szocialista Munkáspárt, MSZMP), which was created during the 1956 Hungarian Revolution and kept that name until 1989.
So the article’s wording is incorrect because it pairs the older party name with the later acronym MSZMP. In the 1980s and during the 1989 transition, the ruling party was the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party, not the Hungarian Working People’s Party.
2 sources
- Everyday Life under Communism and After
After merging with the Social Democrats in 1949, a new entity named the Hungarian Workers' Party (Magyar Dolgozók Pártja, MDP) was established, which became the ruling party until 1956. During the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the party was renamed again as the Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party (Magyar Szocialista Munkáspárt, MSZMP), a name which it kept until 1989.
- Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party | Britannica
Britannica identifies the MSzMP as the 'Hungarian Socialist Workers’ Party' and notes that it survived until the fall of communism in 1989.
The first free parliamentary election, held in May 1990,
Hungary’s first free parliamentary election was not held in May 1990. The two voting rounds were held on March 25 and April 8, 1990.
Full reasoning
The timing here is wrong. Authoritative election records show that Hungary’s first free parliamentary election after the communist period was conducted in two rounds, not in May:
- first round: 25 March 1990
- second round: 8 April 1990
A separate May date is associated with the transition of government—e.g., József Antall became prime minister in May 1990—not with the election itself. So describing the election as having been "held in May 1990" is inaccurate.
2 sources
- HUNGARY: parliamentary elections Orszaggyules, 1990 | Inter-Parliamentary Union
Dates of elections / renewal: 25 March 1990; 8 April 1990. The first round of polling on 25 March concluded with only five definite results... Six parties participated in the run-off elections of 8 April.
- Hungary - Postcommunist Hungary | Britannica
Britannica states: 'Elections were duly held in two rounds in March and April 1990.'
with the Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF) winning 43% of the vote and the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ) capturing 24%.
Those were not the parties’ vote shares. Official election data show MDF received 24.73% of the vote and SZDSZ 21.39%; the larger figures are closer to their seat shares, not their vote totals.
Full reasoning
This sentence misstates the vote percentages in the 1990 parliamentary election.
According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s election summary for Hungary:
- MDF received 1,214,359 votes, or 24.73%
- SZDSZ received 1,050,799 votes, or 21.39%
So MDF did not win 43% of the vote, and SZDSZ did not win 24% of the vote. The article appears to have confused vote share with roughly the parties’ share of seats in parliament: IPU lists 165 seats for MDF and 92 seats for SZDSZ out of 386 total seats, which are approximately 42.7% and 23.8% respectively.
1 source
- HUNGARY: parliamentary elections Orszaggyules, 1990 | Inter-Parliamentary Union
Round no 1: Distribution of votes — Hungarian Democratic Forum (MDF): 1,214,359 votes, 24.73%; Alliance of Free Democrats (SzDSz): 1,050,799 votes, 21.39%. Distribution of seats — MDF: 165; SzDSz: 92.