HUNGARY'S SOCIALIST-LED COALITION WAS ON COURSE ON SUNDAY TO BECOME THE FIRST GOVERNMENT TO RETAIN POWER SINCE COMMUNISM FELL IN 1989, AND WITH AN INCREASED MAJORITY, PARTIAL ELECTION RESULTS SHOWED ON SUNDAY ACCORDING TO REUTERS. THE ELECTION COMMISSION PROJECTED THE SOCIALIST PARTY AND ITS FREE DEMOCRAT ALLIES WOULD WIN 209 SEATS IN THE 386-MEMBER PARLIAMENT AFTER TWO-THIRDS OF VOTES HAD BEEN COUNTED IN SUNDAY'S SECOND ROUND OF VOTING IN A GENERAL ELECTION. VICTORY WOULD BE A PERSONAL TRIUMPH FOR PRIME MINISTER FERENC GYURCSANY, WHO CAMPAIGNED ON PROMISES OF REFORMS, AND TOUGH CHOICES LIE AHEAD ON HOW TO CUT HUNGARY'S HUGE BUDGET DEFICIT AND AVOID A FINANCIAL CRISIS. HUNDREDS OF DELIGHTED SOCIALISTS IN A MARQUEE OUTSIDE THE PARTY HEADQUARTERS IN THE CAPITAL BUDAPEST CHEERED THE RESULTS AS THEY WERE RELAYED ON A HUGE TELEVISION SCREEN. THE PARTIES HAD HELD 198 SEATS IN THE PREVIOUS PARLIAMENT. "THE GOVERNMENT WILL HAVE A MUCH MORE SECURE BASIS ON WHICH TO GOVERN THAN AFTER 2002," SAUD LASZLO KERI, A POLITICAL ANALYST AT THE HUNGARIAN ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. THE ELECTION COMMISSION PROJECTIONS PUT THE MAIN OPPOSITION FIDESZ PARTY, LED BY FORMER PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN, ON 165 SEATS. IT PUT THE SMALLER RIGHT-WING HUNGARIAN DEMOCRATIC FORUM (MDF), WHICH FIDESZ HAD TRIED TO WOO INTO AN ALLIANCE, ON 11. "WE'VE KICKED OUT EVERY GOVERNMENT SO FAR AND I THINK IT'S FINALLY TIME WE GIVE SOMEBODY ANOTHER CHANCE. FOUR YEARS IS JUST NOT ENOUGH TO COMPLETE A PROGRAMME," SAID GEZA SANDOR, A 35-YEAR-OLD VOTER IN BUDAPEST. SOME 174 SEATS WERE AT STAKE ON SUNDAY, FOLLOWING A FIRST ROUND OF VOTING ON APRIL 9 WHEN THE GOVERNING PARTIES EMERGED AHEAD. TURNOUT WAS 57.6 PERCENT BY 1530 GMT, LOWER THAN THE 61.7 PERCENT AT THE SAME STAGE IN THE FIRST ROUND ON APRIL 9. --MORE 2140 Local Time 1840 GMT
