In 1989 the MSZDP was re-founded, and took a prominent role in the transitional arrangements before the first elections. The MSZMP, now calling itself the
Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP), started with a large base of members, plenty of financial resources and a core electorate. The
MSZP and MSZDP were in competition for the same left-wing support. The transition period was marked by chaos in the newly reformed MSZDP. There were many disagreements throughout 1989 regarding the direction of the MSZDP, and a breakaway was established in November 1989 as the "Historical"
Social Democratic Party (SZDP or tSZDP). The SZDP claimed to be the ideological successor to the "
anti-communist" MSZDP of 1945–1948 and 1956. Another breakaway party also emerged in 1989 - the Independent Social Democratic Party (FSZDP). The results of the
1990 elections under the leadership of
Anna Petrasovits was a huge disappointment to the MSZDP, as the reconstituted party failed to reach the 5% parliamentary threshold. Following the replacement of Petrasovits,
Endre Borbély and
Zoltán Király held the position for a year respectively. Following the defeats in 1990 and 1994, the MSZDP has failed to cross the threshold into Parliament at every subsequent election. Whilst retaining its separate status, it has become even further linked to the MSZP. Its leader (since 1994),
László Kapolyi, was elected to Parliament in 2002 as part of a joint MSZP–MSZDP ticket. Between 2002 and 2010, he sat with the MSZP in Parliament, as a normal MSZP MP, and after 2007 he was joined by
Gábor Hárs, a 'defector' from the MSZP. In 2007 and 2008, further defections from the MSZP to the MSZDP in
Óbuda and
Zugló resulted in some pressure to more clearly define an independent social democratic perspective to differentiate the party from the MSZP. In response to this, László Kapolyi tried to prevent further defections from joining, under pressure from the MSZP's leadership. However, pressure from the remaining membership of the MSZDP has created tensions. In November 2009, a number of local MSZDP associations made autonomous decisions to form electoral alliances with the
Green Left, regardless of the MSZDP's national leadership. Due to the leadership's close ties to the MSZP, the MSZDP was unable to capitalise upon the MSZP's growing unpopularity in the run-up to the
2010 Hungarian parliamentary election, and it was doubtful that it had a membership of more than 100 active subscribers. On its 45th Congress on 8 October 2011, Kapolyi was re-elected as chairman, and
Andor Schmuck was elected as general secretary. At the 46th Congress on 24 November 2012, long serving chairman Kapolyi was not running again for re-election, Schmuck was elected as his successor. On 26 May 2013, an attempt was made to officially dissolve the MSZDP, with a small successor party established as the
Hungarian Social Democrats' Party (Szocdemek) under the leadership of Andor Schmuck whilst excluding former leader László Kapolyi. The decision of the Congress has since been challenged. Political opponents of Schmuck elected Kapolyi chairman again. The Social Democratic Party under Kapolyi participated in the
2014 general election, as well as Schmuck's new party, which took most of the members and large part of the infrastructure of the MSZDP. László Kapolyi died on 29 November 2014 after a long illness. Since 2014 there have been ongoing challenges to the legal status of the MSZDP, and its current legal status is unclear. The MSZDP did not participate in the
2018 general election and party leader László Hasilló endorsed
Gergely Karácsony and his MSZP–
Dialogue electoral alliance. In 2020 MSZDP was delisted from the
Party of European Socialists and the
Socialist International due to inactivity. In early 2022 MSZDP announced on its website that MSZDP and
Workers' Party of Hungary 2006 – European Left will cooperate in preparation for the
2022 parliamentary election. == Election results ==