Oligarchopedia: László Puch

Atlatszo.hu launched the Hungarian Oligarchopedia to sum up all the pieces of information we know about the people who use their power and wealth to control politics. We’ve set up some basic parameters to characterise oligarchs and to rank their impact on our elected representatives, authorities and media.

Today we introduce László Puch

László Puch, former treasurer of MSZP (Hungarian Socialist Party) comes from a German craftsmen family with Baranya-county origins and started his political carrier in MSZMP, leading party of the Communist-regime in 1980. Being the president of the socialist co-op around the town of Bóly provided him a strong lobbyist background in the successor party after the transitions. Becoming MSZP’s treasurer from a simple MP’s position after losing the 1998 elections, Puch spent the next ten years behind the MSZP-Fidesz death-match’s curtains. The treasurer has built up a slightly familiar relationship with Lajos Simicska and other Fidesz-related business circles. Airport privatisation, highway constructions, public transport scandals were not only filled with one party related names. Although he stepped down from his position in 2008 to be the undersecretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Energetics, MSZP seems to be still his own playground by sitting his own people in the right chairs. While his ex-colleagues were sent in prison or seeking for asylum abroad and MSZP still seems to be unable to stand up from the wrecking lose in 2010, László Puch is free to live his own life.

Oligarchorank: 3,6

– wealth: 4

– political impact: 4

– media impact: 3

Best joke: Proposes a bill for transparent party financing

Best quote: „Corruption doesn’t depend on parties” and „I’ve never made such things I could be snuffed for”

Best oligarch friend: Lajos Simicska