HUNGARY: Opponents of Hungarian leader Ferenc Gyurcsany have cancelled their second major anti-government demonstration in two days, amid signs that violent protests on the streets of Budapest were boosting the popularity of the embattled prime minister.
"In the interests of peaceful and well-meaning citizens, Fidesz has decided to postpone the event," Laszlo Kover, a Fidesz opposition party official, said of a rally that was expected to draw hundreds of thousands of people to central Budapest tomorrow.
"We were informed that the planned event was susceptible to provocation, even terrorist-type blasts," said Mr Kover. "The calm of the local elections is the most important guarantee to restore democracy."
Fidesz wants Mr Gyurcsany to resign if his Socialist Party loses the October 1st local elections, but suffered a setback yesterday when polls suggested his popularity had increased during a week of violent night-time protests against his rule.
"What is happening on the streets of Budapest today and the continuation of the violence is only in the interest of the government," said Mr Kover, after police arrested 55 people on Wednesday night.
This was less violent than the two previous evenings, when almost 300 people were hurt in clashes.
"People in the countryside are totally disappointed that the demonstration was put off . . . they organised everything assuming they would come to the rally. I have a suspicion they will turn up anyway," said Terez Rostas (48), protesting outside parliament.
A few hundred radicals, including far-right supporters and football hooligans, have stolen headlines from about 10,000 peaceful protesters who have gathered each night this week outside parliament to press for Mr Gyurcsany's resignation, after he admitted repeatedly lying about the state of the economy to win re-election in April.
Mr Gyurcsany, who saw students cancel a march planned for yesterday over security fears, said he was "very happy" that Fidesz had postponed its rally.
He insisted again he would stay in power to push through tough cost-cutting reforms and slash Hungary's huge budget deficit.
"The government won't alter its political composition or the policy of reforms and correction," he said. "The outcome of the local elections won't affect our policies."
Earlier in the day, Fidesz rejected Mr Gyurcsany's call for multiparty talks aimed at quelling the unrest.
"There is no point talking to the government," said party spokesman Peter Szijjarto. "Fidesz considers Ferenc Gyurcsany persona non grata in Hungarian politics. In the current state of affairs, he himself is the problem."
Fidesz leader Viktor Orban's occasionally nationalist rhetoric has raised fears in the party that it will be associated with far-right radicals who have been at the forefront of this week's violence.
"We ask Viktor Orban to put down the torch in his hand, which is already lit, to put it out and to call back his teams from the squares, the cities and everywhere else," said Ferenc Juhasz, vice-president of the ruling Socialist party.
Mr Orban and Fidesz insist they want a peaceful end to the crisis and deny inciting violence.