Meanwhile, MSZP deputy chairman András Balogh told newspaper Népszava that the party performed poorly at the elections due to several mistakes which included incompetence of Gyurcsány's while in government, the abandonment of left-wing values, complacency, and the fact that Gyurcsány was involved in corruption.

Representatives from all seven platforms of the party agreed that the Socialists did not need a "chieftain", an "Orbán of the Left", but a team leader.

[17] On 22 October 2011, Gyurcsány announced he was leaving the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) and would set up a new parliamentary group after persuading the necessary number of lawmakers to join him.

Socialist representatives strongly condemned Gyurcsány, who had signed a pledge to stay on in the party the previous week.

[19] At a press conference, Gyurcsány announced that the renewed party had elected Tamás Bauer, József Debreczeni, Csaba Molnár and Péter Niedermüller as deputy chairmen.

[20] The Democratic Coalition was not allowed to form a new party faction until the spring after leaving the MSZP, based on the parliament's Constitutional and Procedural Committee decision on 7 November 2011.

[23] On 14 January 2014, centre-left opposition parties agreed to submit a joint list for the spring 2014 general election.

The list was headed by MSZP leader Attila Mesterházy, the centre-left alliance's candidate for Prime Minister.

Liberal leader Gábor Fodor was entered at fourth place and co-leader of the E14-PM alliance and the Dialogue for Hungary.

In 2020, two more mayorships in Budapest were added to DK after two mayors, elected as MSZP candidates, joined Democratic Coalition.

[32] Prior to the foundation of the Democratic Coalition, its leader Ferenc Gyurcsány was described a historical advocate of a Third Way policy approach and of social liberalism,[33][34] with his term as prime minister for the Hungarian Socialist Party having been marked by the implementation of austerity measures.

[27][39][40][41][42] In its campaign, DK advocated several centre-left fiscal and welfare proposals, including an EU-wide minimum pension, minimum wage, and family allowance funded by increased taxation of multinational corporations,[40][43] and integration of European health policies,[43] thus blending increasingly social-democratic positions with support for European integration.

[27] The Democratic Coalition opposes the government of Viktor Orbán and the changes effected to the electoral system,[44] judiciary,[45] and the independence of the press in the 2011 Hungarian constitution,[46] which Gyurcsány has described as "illegitimate".