Hungary in Crisis After Joining EU

Hungary’s government is in political crisis after Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy resigned on Thursday. Prime Minister Medgyessy is likely to be replaced by Peter Kiss, a former labor minister and a senior figure in the ruling Socialist party, according to Reuters. Tensions between the two ruling groups in the Hungarian government, the Socialists and the Liberal Free Democrats, grew in recent weeks, and Wednesday the prime minister sacked three ministers, including Economics Minister Istvan Csillag a member of the junior coalition party. The government has been divided over how to best govern the country after joining the European Union. The Socialists lost heavily in June's European Parliament elections and many in the party want to see a more popular economic policy to catch up with the opposition conservatives, who are poised to win the next election in 2006. (EUobserver.com)