RADIO FREE EUROPE/RADIO LIBERTY, PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
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RFE/RL NEWSLINE Vol. 4, No. 61, 27 March 2000

WESTERN MEDIA CRITICIZES HUNGARY'S PRESS FREEDOM. "The
Economist" finds it "surprising" that the Hungarian governing
coalition continues to challenge communist influences in the
media, despite Prime Minister Viktor Orban's claim that the
post-communist transformation has ended, Hungarian media
reported on 25 March, citing an article recently published in
the weekly. The daily "Nepszabadsag" also quotes "Le Point"
as saying that Orban has adopted an "apparatchik" style and
deserves the "three yellow cards" his media policy has earned
from EU and U.S. ambassadors and the International Press
Institute. MSZ

TWO ROMANIAN PARTIES AGREE ON DATE OF LOCAL ELECTIONS. The
president of the National Peasants' Party Christian
Democratic (PNTCD), Ion Diaconescu, said on 24 March that he
has reached an agreement with the leadership of the National
Liberal Party on confirming that local elections will take
place on 4 and 16 June, Mediafax reported. The two parties
also agreed that the first round of the local elections would
not be repeated if the turnout is less than 50 percent. PNTCD
General Secretary Remus Opris said the two parties will
compete in the elections "in the spirit of non-aggression"
and that the best candidate will be supported in the second
round. In other news, Hungarian Democratic Federation of
Romania Chairman Bela Marko complained on 26 March that
parties in the Romanian governing coalition are not on equal
terms because his party is not represented in the Interior
Ministry or the Romanian intelligence service, Hungarian
Radio reported. VG