Rechtse tegenstanders in Hongarije willen vervroegde verkiezingen (en)
The Hungarian parliament appointed a new, technocrat prime minister late on Tuesday, but for thousands of rightist protesters in the country's capital, replacing the head of government was not enough - they should all go.
Thousands of anti-government protesters from right-wing civil associations, including members of the paramilitary Hungarian Guard, rallied outside the parliament building as 204 deputies inside the house voted in as the new prime minister Gordon Bajnai, a 41-year-old politically unaligned businessman and former economy minister.
Mr Bajnai replaces Ferenc Gyurcsany i, who resigned on 21 March following large-scale protests.
The outgoing prime minister was replaced by the businessman, a close friend of Mr Gyurcsany but not a member of his Socialist party, in a "constructive no-confidence motion."
Eight deputies abstained from the vote but no votes were cast against the motion as the opposition conservative Fidesz party boycotted the vote.
Fidesz, like the protesters, wants fresh elections and accuses the government of dishonest manoeuvres engineered solely to extend its mandate.
The new prime minister has made it clear he intends to introduce a "painful" package of austerity measures designed to meet the deficit-cutting requirements of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Union, who lent Hungary €21 billion last October to avert the collapse of its economy.
The measures include an elimination of a series of welfare payments and maternity and child-care supports and will attempt to slash public sector salaries - including eliminating the "13th month" salary bonus.
Mr Bajnai also hopes to raise the retirement age, reduce pensions and cut taxes.
In an address to the chamber, the new prime minister also seemed to suggest growing unemployment was a product of a refusal to work.
"To restart the economy, we need to cut the tax burden on employment, increase the willingness to work and support work-intensive economic fields with high added-value," he said in an address to the chamber.
He has also appointed six unaligned individuals like himself to various ministries. Peter Oszko, a young economist from multinational accounting firm Deloitte has been appointed finance minister.
The prime minister has said he will call elections if he cannot gain support in the parliament for the measures.
While the Socialists and Liberals look set to back him, Fidesz says it opposes austerity measures as a solution to the crisis and would instead introduce a stimulus package.
Meanwhile, outside the parliament, between 6,000 and 8,000 protesters from right-wing civil groups rallied boisterously, throwing objects.
Some individuals set fire to a European Union flag, subsequently spitting and urinating on the blue, star-spangled standard, AFP reports.
One group of protesters drove motorbikes into police lines and some 500 demonstrators broke through metal fencing that protected the parliament.
Police responded with tear gas, making 12 arrests. A total of 15 police officers and 10 others were injured.
Members of the extreme nationalist Hungarian Guard were also in attendance. The black-uniformed Guard, a paramilitary outfit founded by the far-right Jobbik party (Jobbik Magyarországért Mozgalom, (Movement for a Better Hungary), has set as its tasks "strengthening national self-defence" and "maintaining public order."
The protesters called the new prime minister of a "traitor of the nation" and have vowed to continue to hold daily demonstrations until they win new elections.
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