 István Bethlen, a nonaffiliated, right-wing member of the parliament, took advantage of this rift by convincing members of the Christian National Union who opposed Karl's re-enthronement to merge with the Smallholders' Party and form a new Party of Unity with Bethlen as its leader.Horthy then appointed Bethlen Prime Minister.As Prime Minister, Bethlen dominated Hungarian politics between 1921 and 1931.