István Sarlós

István Sarlós (center) in conversation with employees of the VEB Kombinat Umformtechnik " Herbert Warnke " in Erfurt (February 2, 1976)

István Sarlós (born October 30, 1921 in Budapest ; † June 19, 2006 ibid) was a Hungarian politician in the Communist Party KMP (Kommunisták Magyarországi Pártja) , the Party of the Hungarian Working People MDP (Magyar Dolgozók Pártja) and finally the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party MSZMP (Magyar Szocialista Munkáspárt) , among others, managing editor of the daily newspaper Népszabadság , Vice-Prime Minister of 19 December 1984 to 29 June 1988 President of the Parliament (Országgyűlés) and most recently from 1988 to 1989 was Vice-President. On the XI. Party Congress on March 22, 1975 he was elected a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the MSZMP and was a member of this top management body of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party until June 23, 1987.

Life

Vocational training, World War II and party official

Sarlós, son of a metallurgical worker, joined the Social Democratic Party MSZDP (Magyarországi Szociáldemokrata Párt) after graduating from high school in 1939 and was involved in this as a youth secretary. At the same time, he began training at the export company Export Külker Vállalatnál and then moved to the Weiss Manfréd Konzervgyárban canning factory . During the Second World War he was called up for military service in 1942 and was used in the Maria-Theresia-Kaserne in Kassa . After one use, he was employed in the garrison hospital and later in the economic office of the barracks, before he was taken prisoner of war in 1944 and subsequently in a prisoner of war camp in Western Europe.

After his release from captivity, Sarlós returned to Hungary in September 1945 and in December 1945 became second secretary of the MSZDP in a county. After the founding of the party of the Hungarian working people MDP (Magyar Dolgozók Pártja) he was accepted as a party cadre in May 1948 and after a five-month training at a party school in Budapest first worked in the organization department and then head of the agitation and propaganda department of the Hungarian-Soviet society ( Magyar-Szovjet Társaság) before he was acting chairman of this society from 1955 to April 1956.

In addition to his work for the Hungarian-Soviet Society, he completed a teaching degree in the subjects of Hungarian language and literary studies at the Eötvös-Loránd University (ELTE) and graduated in 1956 with a diploma as a high school teacher. He then became deputy head of the department for organization and propaganda at the Association for Civil Defense MOHOSZ (Magyar Önkéntes Honvédelmi Szövetség) and, after the popular uprising from December 10, 1956 to February 1957, did military service with the Budapest Militia Regiment.

Local politician in Budapest, MP and member of the Central Committee

After that he was initially involved in the reorganization of the MOHOSZ before he became an employee in June 1957 in the party headquarters of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party MSZMP (Magyar Szocialista Munkáspárt) , which emerged from the MDP . In May 1958 he became deputy head of the culture section in the department for agitation and propaganda and then head of this section. On August 1, 1959, he was elected First Secretary of the MSZMP District Management of the Terézváros sixth district of Budapest.

He then acted from March 11, 1963 to December 1, 1970 as a member and chairman of the Budapest City Council. He was de facto successor to József Veres mayor of Budapest and then handed this post over to Lajos Kelemen .

Sarlós was first elected member of parliament (Országgyűlés) on the list of the Patriotic Popular Front (Hazafias Népfront) on February 24, 1963 and then represented the 14th constituency of Budapest since March 19, 1967 and the 15th from June 15, 1975 Constituency of Budapest. Then he was since June 8, 1980 a member of parliament for the 6th constituency of Vas County and most recently again since June 8, 1985 representative of the reserve list of the Patriotic Popular Front.

On the IX. On December 3rd, 1966, he became a member of the Central Committee (ZK) of the MSZMP and was a member of this until September 1st, 1989.

Editor-in-chief of Népszabadság , general secretary of the Patriotic Popular Front

On December 1, 1970, Sarlós succeeded János Gosztonyi as editor-in-chief of Népszabadság , the national daily newspaper with the highest circulation in Hungary. At the same time he became a member of the National Council of the Patriotic Popular Front (Hazafias Népfront) , in which the mass organizations, social and cultural organizations of the People's Republic of Hungary were organized as an umbrella organization. At the same time he was a member of the MSZMP Commission for Propaganda and Agitation from 1970 to 1974.

On March 21, 1974, he was replaced as editor-in-chief of Népszabadság by István Katona , after which he himself was elected General Secretary of the National Council of the Patriotic Popular Front and held this position until June 24, 1984.

On the XI. Party Congress on March 22, 1975, he was elected a member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the MSZMP and belonged to this top management body of the Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party until June 23, 1987.

Vice Prime Minister, President of Parliament and Vice President

After eight years of service in the Popular Front, he became Vice-Chairman of the Council of Ministers on June 25, 1982 and was thus Deputy Prime Minister György Lázár until December 19, 1984 . At the same time he was again a member of the MSZMP Commission for Propaganda and Agitation from March 1982 to 1984 and on September 10, 1984 also became Vice President of the National Culture Council (Országos Közművelődési Tanács) .

Subsequently, Sarlós became President of Parliament on December 19, 1984 as the successor to Antal Apró and held this office until his replacement by István Stadinger on June 29, 1988. After that he acted until October 23, 1989 as Vice President of the collective state presidency (A Magyar Népköztársaság Elnöki Tanácsa) and thus as deputy of President Brúnó Straub .

Publications

• Magyar Népköztársaság érdemérem IV. Fokozat (1950)
• Szocialista munkáért érdemérem (1955)
• Munkás-paraszt Hatalomért emlékérem (1957)
• Munka érdemrend arany Fokozata (1966, 1970)
• Szocialista hazáért érdemrend (1967)
• Pro Urbe emlékérem (1971)
• Az 1941–1945-ös Nagy Honvédő Háborúban aratott győzelem harmincadik évfordulójára emlékérem (1975)
• Front érdemérem (1976)
• A Magyar Népköztársaság érdemrendje (1981)
• A Lengyel Népköztársaság parliamentjének szolgálatáért érdemrend (1985)

Web links

• Entry in Történelmi Tár (Hungarian)
• Entry in the Munzinger archive (top of the online version)
• Elhunyt Sarlós István, az Országgyűlés egykori elnöke (obituary of 6 July 2006)