After the devastating election defeat in April, the question arose even in some leftist Hungarian politicians: what is the point of six left-wing party groups in Parliament?

What is the point of the 57 left-wing MPs gaining seats in Parliament of forming six different groups? Why are there six, small and completely indiscernible parties – most with tarnished reputations – which say the same thing? The Mediaworks News Center, which has obtained the list of the sums due to party groups, provides a short but obvious answer: for the money. According to preliminary information, the distribution of the 57 leftist opposition MPs by party group will be as follows: 15 Democratic Coalition (DK) party politicians, 11 for the Momentum group, 10 MPs each for the Jobbik and the Socialist (MSZP) groups, whereas the Dialogue (Parbeszed) group will have 6 and the Politics can be different (LMP) group will have 5 representatives. However, the last party in the line-up was able to secure only four seats in the elections, so by the will of the voters, it did not meet the threshold for forming an independent parliamentary group. Ferenc Gyurcsany’s DK party, however, has given up one of their mandates in LMP’s favour, Hungarian daily Magyar Nemzet writes.

Each parliamentary group is entitled to various benefits, such as wages, an operating budget and an allowance. According to Mediaworks News Centre

the DK party will receive the largest sum of combined benefits of the opposition parties, amounting to 57 million forints (150,500 euros) per month. LMP, which will only be able to form its own group with tricks, will be receiving 31,870 million (81,870 euros) per month.

The six groups with the 57 MPs will be entitled to a total of 256 million forints (676,000 euros) per month. This is particularly interesting because in the previous parliamentary term, between 2018 and 2022, the five left-wing groups, which then held 63 seats, were allotted 197 million forints (520,273 euros) per month. Although the Left now has six fewer MPs than before, the group’s trickery has gained them an extra 66 million forints (174,304 euros) a month of taxpayers’ money.

Another comparison is also worth making, Mediaworks News Center points out. The governing parties are entitled to a combined monthly allowance of 358 million forints (945,471 euros) for the 135 MPs in their two groups. It light of this, it is also remarkable that

the 57 opposition MPs sitting in six groups could cost voters 256 million forints a month.

Meanwhile, the total amount of the various monthly budgets due the Our Homeland Movement (Mi Hazank) [opposition party not part of the 6-party election alliance- ed.], which has six MPs, is 33.5 million forints (88 thousand euros), according to documents obtained by Mediaworks News Center.

Some leftist politicians are not attending the main part of the Hungarian Parliament’s inaugural session on Monday. The representatives of the Democratic Coalition (DK) party only appeared in the chamber for the confirmation of their mandate and the swearing-in, after which they left immediately. Momentum MPs also left the chamber after the swearing-in. Commenting on this, the group leader of the ruling Fidesz party, Mate Kocsis, wrote on his social media,

„Parliament is the workplace of the elected representatives, so it must be taken seriously, like any other workplace. The rules are laid down in the Fundamental Law and the Acts governing Parliament. An MP who only cares about his salary, but does not go to work, does not obey the rules, is not worthy of being an official in Parliament.”