HUNGARY: HOPES FOR YELTSIN VICTORY IN RUSSIAN 2ND ROUND ELECTIONS
Hung/English/Nat
With the possibility of Communists regaining power in Russia, former countries of the Soviet bloc are watching closely the second round of presidential elections.
None more so than Hungary, where an anti-Communist rebellion in 1956 was mercilessly crushed by Russian tanks.
Hungary finally turned its back on communism in 1989, and many of its citizens are hoping Boris Yeltsin will stay in power.
The statue park on the outskirts of Budapest was created in 1990 as a place to put all the public statues from the communist era.
Communist rule in Hungary ended in 1989, bringing in a democratic and free-market economy.
Hungarians long resented the influence the Soviet Union had over their country.
In 1956 Hungary rose in revolt against Soviet domination to which the Red Army responded by sending in tanks, crushing the revolution.
The legacy has lingered on and many Hungarians are wary of Russian influences in the future.
SOUNDBITE: (Hungarian)
I was very happy when the Russian troops left Hungary by the collapse of the Soviet Union and the appearing of the new states which replaced it. There was no longer a common border with Russia which in a sense is very reassuring, but I do think, probably because I am an old freedom fighter from 1956 that Russia must be pacified and must be democratised.
SUPER CAPTION: Imre Mecs, Chair of Parliament's Defence Committee
Since 1989, Hungary has been one of the more successful countries at taking on a free-market economy.
Their country is booming compared to many of their neighbours, but some Soviet links remain.
The Ikarus company exports most of its vehicles to Russia.
SOUNDBITE: (Hungarian)
The Russian market is still one of the most important markets for the company. About 70-thousand of our buses are still on the roads in Russia and 95 percent of the mass transportation in the big cities are done by our buses.
SUPER CAPTION: Laszlo Becsy, General Manager of IKARUS
Financial institutions in Hungary see Yeltsin as a better choice because of his desire to create a free-market economy.
Yeltsin's rival, Gennady Zyuganov is in favour of a more centralised and regulated economy.
The Central European Investment Corporation was set up to channel foreign funds - largely from the U-S - into former Communist countries, and support moves towards market economics.
SOUNDBITE: (Hungarian)
Yeltsin is a better choice because he sincerely wants to create a market economy but the world has to accept the fact that if they want a real market economy and democracy in Russia they have to help much more.
SUPER CAPTION: Sandor Demjan, President of Central European Investment Corporation
The more sceptical see the elections reflecting the growing influence of the west in the world economy since the end of communism in Europe.
SOUNDBITE: (Hungarian)
For a long time the whole thing hasn't been about who is going to win the presidential election. It is about that who gives the money and who directs the whole process, and it doesn't happen from Russia, it comes from the west.
SUPER CAPTION: Aniko Pajor, unemployed
Despite the breaking up of the Soviet Union and eastern bloc, Russia has made an attempt to continue its influence in the region.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
The outcome is very important for Hungary because we do have a very strong economic relation and Russia is playing a very important role in Eastern Europe and it can have an impact on that security and that of international relations.
SUPER CAPTION: Istvan Szent-Ivanyi, State Secretary for the Minister for Foreign Affairs
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