Page 64 - The Voyage of Hungarian Christian Democracy - Edited by Mária Rita Kiss

adjective only meant that the party was preparing for playing a dominant role in parliament
and for becoming an important political force. According to the founding fathers, the party
was bound to do so by the political weight of its political predecessor, the DNP, and the
decisive roles of modern Western European parties in their respective countries. The KDNP’s
results at the first elections fell short of these ambitions which is mostly blamed on the
relatively belated start of party organizing. While this late start was undoubtedly one factor
298
behind weaker-than-expected election results, in our opinion this relatively poor performance
can also be viewed from an identity strategy issue. As discussed above, the party’s
communication prior to the elections put the worldview party identity into the fore. This led
to a party model that steered the KDNP towards small party status, locking them up in a
dominantly Catholic subculture. A status assessment dated 12 April 1990 shows that this
trend was realized and the drawing of conclusions was urged: “We have dissipated the
opportunity for our party to fulfil the role of a real Christian democratic party and to become a
dominant political force.” The road to fixing that would lead through the change of the
299
party’s “sociological structure”, social image, on strengthening the party’s base among
intellectuals, workers and peasants, and on bringing in young people. Thus these proposals
can also be perceived as a shift towards a different party model. Around 1992, this approach
seemed to have gained strength. László Surján defined his party as a “people’s party”,
differentiating it from parties linked to specific social classes. Retaining the reference to the
300
worldview party nature, other KDNP politicians described the party as a “people’s party

standing on a base of Christian ethics.” The interpretation of “people’s party” within the
301
KDNP is best illustrated by two drafts that provide an insight into the party’s path finding
state of mind at the time. The document titled “Past and Present Coalescing Into One – What
Type of a Party is the KDNP?” describes the KDNP as a “modern programme party” that makes
policies based on Christian principles, a “Hungarian people’s party with Western background”,
positioning the organization in the political centre as a “centre party that is free of
extremism” 302 The “Principles” document mentioned earlier describes the party as a “people’s
party with a patriotic mindset”. In that approach, the KDNP is not a party of a specific social
class or segment, but a party that strives to implement a social and economic structure that
provides favourable conditions “for all people, all human communities and social classes and
professions”. The party does not accept the “distinctive priority” of any person, group or class
over others. Instead, it shall do its best to equally represent and serve all social groups and its
membership is open to any group or segment of society. Thus at the level of political
303

298 The circumstances of the party’s launch are discussed in detail in: Szabó Róbert: A Kereszténydemokrata Néppárt a rendszerváltás éveiben (1989-1990) [The
Christian Democratic People’s Party (KDNP) in the Years of Political Transition] In. 70 éves a Kereszténydemokrata Néppárt. [The Christian Democratic People’s
Party Celebrates 70th Anniversary.] Op. cit. pp. 87-111. and Katalin Lukácsi: Negyedszázados évfordulóját ünnepli a Kereszténydemokrata Néppárt. I-II-III. rész.
th
[Christian Democratic People’s Party Celebrates 25 Anniversary. Part I-II-III] http://barankovics.hu/cikk/idoszeru/negyedszazados-evfordulojat-unnepli-a-
keresztenydemokrata-neppart Viewed on 20 June 2015.
299 György Szakolczai: A kereszténydemokrácia lehetőségei és feladatai a választások után Magyarországon [Post-Election Opportunities and Tasks of Christian
Democracy in Hungary]. p. 10. MNL OL P2246 Heritage of Zoltán K. Kovács. Item 41 (Box 32) Documents on activities in the KDNP.
300 Első kongresszusára készül a KDNP. Interjú Surján Lászlóval, a KDNP elnökével. [KDNP Gets Ready for 1 Congress. Interview with Party Chairman László
st
Surján.] Új Magyarország, 18 April 1992. Party documents. Press materials. 1992.
301 Cf. A KDNP higgadt résztvevője a hazai politikai életnek [KDNP – A Composed Participant of Hungarian Politics]. Magyar Hírlap, April 1992. Egy kis párt
követeli a léthez való jogát. [A Small Party Demands Right to Exist]. Magyar Nemzet, 25 April 1992.
302 A proof-read version of “What type of a party is the KDNP?” Year not indicated; Presumably from the spring of 1992. Party documents. Executive board
documents. 1992.
303 A keresztény humanizmus, demokrácia és igazságosság útján. Alapelveink. [On the Way of Christian Humanism, Democracy and Justice. Our Core Principles.]
Party documents. Executive board documents. p. 9. 1992.

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