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Hungary Central Committee
Between party congresses, in principle the supreme
power in
the HSWP rested with the Central Committee. The Central
Committee
acted on "behalf of the party with respect to state,
government,
and social organs and in international relations." The
Central
Committee, according to the Party Rules, held plenums at
least
once every three months. It had the power to elect
department
heads of the Central Committee apparatus; direct the
operations
of the party's central institutions, newspapers, and
periodicals;
nominate the editorial boards of the central publications;
supervise the performance of professional party activists;
allocate party funds; control the work of government
organs; and
approve the economic plan, other economic and social
policies,
and the national budget for debate and ratification by the
National Assembly
(see National Assembly
, this ch.). The
Central
Committee also administered leading party education
institutions,
such as the Political College and the Social Science
Institute,
and dealt with ideological questions and international
affairs.
Virtually the whole life of the country fell within the
purview
of the Central Committee.
The Thirteenth Party Congress elected a 105-member
Central
Committee. That congress retained seventy-six members
elected at
the Twelfth Party Congress in 1980 and elected twenty-nine
new
members. In June 1987, the Central Committee grew to 107
members
after the deaths of 5 members and the appointments of 7
others.
In April 1988, the Central Committee had 106 members after
the
death of another member.
Personal merit and institutional affiliation determined
who
was selected to the Central Committee, with most members
selected
because of their positions. Members included officials of
the
central party apparatus, party leaders on the county
level, and
leading officials of the trade unions, the military, and
mass
organizations. Some economic officials also gained
membership.
Other members of the Central Committee worked in the media
or
were active in the fields of science, culture, or the
arts.
Data as of September 1989
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