Thousands of protestors gathered in Heroes Square in the Hungarian capital Budapest to call for fresh elections.

The demonstration comes as Gordon Bajnai is almost certain to become the country’s next prime minster after Frenec Gyurcsany announced he was stepping down. Bajnai, a political independent who became finance minister looks set to to be voted into the job by parliament on April the 14th. Hungary has been hit hard by the economic downturn and was saved by an IMF loan of some 19 million euros. The prime minister designate has announced a series of brutal measures aimed at getting the country out of the goulash. His proposals include freezing public sector wages for two years, banning public sector bonuses, scrapping an extra month’s worth of pension and reducing maternity and child benefits. The cuts are expected to save around a billion euros in the first year…More about: Hungary

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