BUDAPEST, Hungary — Police fired tear gas early today to disperse hundreds of demonstrators demanding the prime minister's resignation over his admission on a leaked tape that he lied about the dismal state of the economy.
The protesters were part of a much larger group that had gathered Wednesday evening in a fourth straight day of demonstrations against Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany's government.
Police were out in force and officials said the government could consider a curfew in the Hungarian capital.
Even as the main protest Wednesday grew to 15,000, Gyurcsany stood his ground and insisted that his government intended to press ahead with economic reforms.
Later, the numbers of protesters dwindled to the hundreds, and the chaos gripping the capital appeared to be ebbing.
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The calls for the resignation of Gyurcsany came after leaks of his taped comments that he had "lied morning, evening and night" about the economy.
Confronted with initial excerpts of the 25-minute recording which Hungarian state radio put up on its Web site Sunday afternoon, Gyurcsany not only acknowledged their authenticity but seemed relieved they had been made public — leading to speculation that the leak came from sources close to him.
Gyurcsany's refusal to step down after leaked comments that he had lied sparked violence unrivaled since the anti-Soviet revolution 50 years ago.
For two days running police battled thousands of radicals trying to storm strategic or symbolic buildings.
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