Hungary's ruling Socialists in bitter struggle over party's fate - paper

The old guard was strongly tied to the former prime minister, Ferenc Gyurcsany, whose popularity plummeted as he attempted to introduce economic reforms which were broadly unpopular, but especially disliked by many on the party's hard left. 
    
The party's leadership is currently defending Gordon Bajnai, the third successive head of government under the Socialists since they assumed power in 2002. 

Bajnai, who does not belong to the party and heads a partially technocratic administration, is also seen by a large faction of disaffected left-wingers as a capitalist wolf in Socialist clothing.
    
At a party board meeting earlier in the week, members of the party's youth wing attempted to force out the current leadership headed by Ildiko Lendvai. 

Later, on Wednesday evening, the party's Budapest chapter put forward the same motion, namely that at the next national congress on July 4, the present leadership should put forward a vote of no confidence in themselves. 
    
The paper cited unnamed people close to the party's young generation as saying that several of their number who hold senior positions stood behind the initiative. Many are prepared to resign their posts if the old guard refuses to bend, said the paper.
    
A senior liberal Free Democrat (the Socialists rely on the liberals for their votes in parliament) recently said that Bajnai should be given until the end of the year to carry out necessary crisis-management measures but after the 2010 budget is signed and sealed, he should make way for a newly elected government. 

Analysts in a recent MTI survey were divided on the question of whether Bajnai would have sufficient support from the Socialists to see out his term of office until the spring of 2010.