Public trust in institutions declines in Hungary

Public trust in democratic institutions, which has never been particularly strong in Hungary, dipped to 47 points in October from around 51 points last November, pollster Median told MTI on Monday.

The biggest drops were recorded after the general elections in the spring and the announcement of austerity measures in early summer.

The list is still topped by the president of the republic but Laszlo Solyom's rating dropped to 59 points in October from 69 points last year. The president traditionally features less frequently in day-to-day politics and his lower score coincided with a series of actions that were seen as controversial.

The Constitutional Court slightly gained the public's trust, rising to 61 from 57 points.

The poll showed that in September Hungarians had the least trust in the political parties, whose score dropped to 33 points from 66. The government's rating fell to 32 from 41 points while Parliament's stagnated at 40 points.

Source: Xinhua