Katalin Szili

Education

After obtaining a degree in law at Janus Pannonius University, she completed majors in human ecology and political science.

Career

Magyar Szocialiste Munkaspart (Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party)

She was a legislator from 1994 to 2014. Between 1998 and 2002 she served as Deputy Speaker of the Hungarian National Assembly. She was the candidate of the Hungarian Socialist Party for presidency in the 2005 Hungarian presidential elections.

Szili lost the election on June 7, 2005 to opposition nominee László Sólyom.

The Hungarian Constitution prescribes that the President must be elected by the National Assembly of Hungary, thus the victory of the opposition came as something of a surprise. Another reason for the failed nomination was that Szabad Demokraták Szövetsége (Alliance of Free Democrats) was not consulted ahead of time and Szili lacked qualifications compared to Sólyom who previously held high office as the president of the Constitutional Court of Hungary.

In 2009 Szili was the mayoral candidate of Magyar Szocialiste Munkaspart (Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party) for the mayor of a major Hungarian city, Pécs. She lost the election to Zsolt Pávirginia

She became to be considered inner opposition inside the Magyar Szocialiste Munkaspart (Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party) since 2009.

In 2009 Szili resigned from her position as speaker of Parliament, She was succeeded by Béla Katona of Magyar Szocialiste Munkaspart (Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party). She formed the Movement of Alliance for the Future in 2010 and had her own candidates in some areas in the 2010 Hungarian parliamentary election. Szili was elected to the Parliament of Hungary via the Baranya County Party list where she was chairperson of the local Magyar Szocialiste Munkaspart (Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party) branch. Independent Member of Parliament

After the 2010 local elections, held on October 3, she founded the Social Union (SZU) and became its first chairperson.

As a result, she quit the Hungarian Socialist Party and their parliamentary group, continuing her parliamentary work as a formally independent Member of Parliament. However, as an elected parliamentarian she is serving a four-year term ending in 2014.

Later, she presented her own proposal. Szili was appointed Chairperson of the Committee on Sustainable Development on 25 February 2013.

On October 17, 2013, Katalin Szili and her party, the Social Union (SZU) entered into an alliance with 11 other parties and civil groups (including Centre Party) and established Community for Social Justice People"s Party (KTI). Her new party did not reach the 5% threshold contrary in the 2014 election, as a result she lost her parliamentary seat after 20 years.

Achievements

• Szili as a high-ranking member of the Socialist party was considered partisan, the Szabad Demokraták Szövetsége (Alliance of Free Democrats) abstained, enabling the more neutral candidate Sólyom (who was originally nominated by a non-governmental organization Védegylet and later supported by the opposition), to win the office. Thus the new party Social Union instantly has some representation in Parliament, which is usually not possible for parties having won less than 5% of votes.

Politics

Between 1994 and 1998 she was the political secretary of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Water. The junior coalition party, the Alliance of Free Democrats (Szabad Demokraták Szövetsége (Alliance of Free Democrats)), however, had long emphasized that it would not vote for a partisan President.

Membership

In 2011, Szili became a member of the Nemzeti Konzultációs Testület (National Consultative body) preparing the new constitution.