Alliance of Free Democrats
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Alliance of Free Democrats – the Hungarian Liberal Party
Szabad Demokraták Szövetsége – a Magyar Liberális Párt |
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| First leader | János Kis |
| Last leader | Viktor Szabadai |
| Founded | 13 November 1988 |
| Dissolved | 30 October 2013 |
| Headquarters | 1143 Budapest, XIV. Gizella utca 36. |
| Ideology |
Liberalism Social liberalism Economic liberalism |
| Political position | Centre |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| International affiliation | Liberal International |
| European Parliament group | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (2004–2009) |
| Colours | Blue |
| Website | |
| szdsz.hu (in Hungarian; as at October 2012, home page offered link to English module) | |
The Alliance of Free Democrats – Hungarian Liberal Party (Hungarian: Szabad Demokraták Szövetsége – a Magyar Liberális Párt, SZDSZ) was a liberalpolitical party in Hungary.
The SZDSZ was a member of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Party and of Liberal International. It drew its support predominantly from Budapest among the middle classes, liberal intellectuals and entrepreneurs.
Its origins lay in the illegal Democratic Opposition under the communist rule of János Kádár. This gave rise to the loosely organized Network of Free Initiatives (Szabad Kezdeményezések Hálózata) on 1 May 1988 and to the foundation of the SZDSZ as an opposition political party on 13 November 1988. Its founding leaders included János Kis, Márton Tardos, Gáspár Miklós Tamás, and Miklós Haraszti.
The party initially suggested a radical agenda for changing the political, social and economic system in the country. It suffered a close defeat at the first free general elections of the Third Republic in 1990, thus becoming the leading opposition force in the first free National Assembly (Hungary's parliament).
After the fall of the conservative government at the following 1994 parliamentary election, SZDSZ surprised many by entering into a coalition with the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), legal successors to the communist Hungarian Socialist Workers Party. Thus began a strategic alliance between the two parties that lasted for 14 years, ending only in 2008.
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