Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

Orban's dream of two decades in power hangs in the balance in Hungarian ballot

Orban's dream of two decades in power hangs in the balance in Hungarian ballot

After his third consecutive landslide victory in 2018, Hungary's Viktor Orban said his strong new mandate allowed him to plan for 12 years ahead, aiming for an unbroken two-decade spell in power in the former communist Central European country.

On Sunday, Orban's plan will be put to a stern test in a national election where polls suggest six opposition parties united against him for the first time are within a striking distance from unseating his nationalist Fidesz party.

Fidesz swept elections in 2018 on a fierce anti-immigration campaign that earned him praise from former U.S. President Donald Trump and Europe's far right and set him on a collision course with Brussels.

Now, the 58-year-old leader, who has transformed Hungary into a self-styled "illiberal democracy" with a firm grip over media and loyalists in charge of top institutions, acknowledges this election will not be a walkover.

"The stakes of this election are, even for an old warhorse such as myself, much higher than I could have ever imagined," Orban, who has evenly split the time in opposition and in power since post-communist Hungary's first election in 1990, told pro-government channel HirTV on Monday.

Opinion polls give Orban's party a narrow lead, but with about one-fifth of Hungary's 8 million voters still declaring to be undecided, the April 3 vote could still go either way.

The vote will decide whether Brussels will continue to face resistance from Hungary and Poland over media freedoms, rule of law and minority rights or Warsaw will be left isolated in its standoff with European institutions.

Defence of conservative Christian family values against what he calls "gender madness" now sweeping Western Europe is part of Orban's current campaign. On Sunday, Hungarians will also vote in a government referendum about sexual orientation workshops in schools, a vote which rights groups have condemned saying it fuelled prejudice against the LGBTQ community.


EAST OR WEST?
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban leaves the stage after delivering his annual state of the nation speech in Budapest, Hungary, February 10, 2019.


Russia's invasion of Ukraine upset Orban's script, casting his close relations with Moscow in a new light.

He responded by tapping into Hungarians wish for security, posing on campaign billboards as their protector and accusing opposition politicians of trying to drag Hungary into the war, a charge they have denied.

Yet the opposition leader Peter Marki-Zay seized the opportunity, telling voters they faced a choice between the West and East, criticising Orban's close relations with Russia and what he said was an erosion of democratic rights.

Campaigning in what used to be called Moscow square in Budapest, an opposition stronghold, Marki-Zay said on Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin was rebuilding the Soviet empire and Orban "still cannot decide how to keep an equal distance from the killers and the victims."

Addressing cheering supporters, the conservative small-town mayor and a Catholic father of seven, brought up the Hungarian uprising crushed by Soviet tanks almost 66 years ago while taking a swipe at Orban.

"After 1956 there is still a Hungarian politician, who cannot state that we always must stand up against the aggressor," he said.

Marki-Zay leads a coalition of six parties across Hungary's political spectrum that joined forces, galvanized by the possibility of ousting Orban.

Its members, from leftist Democratic Coalition, to liberal Momentum and Jobbik, a far-right party turned moderate, have put most of their disputes aside for the campaign but policy differences may pose a challenge if Marki-Zay wins on Sunday.

He has promised to clamp down on corruption, gain access to European Union funds frozen by Brussels over the rule of law fight, and introduce the euro.

"What will decide this election is that the majority has had enough of these 12 years," said Sandor Laszlo, who attended Marki-Zay's rally in the capital.

According to the latest poll by Zavecz Research, Fidesz led the opposition by three percentage points with 39% support. Tibor Zavecz, director of the think tank, said Fidesz appeared to have a better chance to win but a lot would depend on a last-minute mobilisation of voters.

He said around 8% of the electorate, around 600,000 people, said they would cast a vote but still had no preferred choice.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Germany Votes to Suspend Family Reunification for Asylum Seekers
Budapest Pride Parade Draws 200,000 Participants Amid Government Ban
Southern Europe Experiences Extreme Heat
Xiaomi's YU7 SUV Launch Garners Record Pre-Orders Amid Market Challenges
Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sanchez's Lavish Wedding in Venice
Russia Launches Largest Air Assault on Ukraine Since Invasion
Massive Anti-Government Protests Erupt in Belgrade
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Hungary's Prime Minister Criticizes NATO's Role in Ukraine
EU TO HUNGARY: LET THEM PRIDE OR PREP FOR SHADE. ORBÁN TO EU: STAY IN YOUR LANE AND FIX YOUR OWN MESS.
Hungarian Scientist to Conduct 30 Research Experiments on the International Space Station
NATO Members Agree to 5% Defense Spending Target by 2035
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
International Astronaut Team Launched to Space Station
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
Oil Prices Set to Surge After US Strikes Iran
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Hungary Ranked Among the World’s Safest Travel Destinations for 2025
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Man Convicted of Fraud After Booking Over 120 Free Flights Posing as Flight Attendant
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Beata Thunberg Rebrands as Beata Ernman Amidst Sister's Activism Controversy
Hungarian Parliament Approves Citizenship Suspension Law
Prime Minister Orbán Criticizes EU's Ukraine Accession Plans
Hungarian Delicacies Introduced to Japanese Market
Hungary's Industrial Output Rises Amid Battery Sector Slump
President Sulyok Celebrates 15 Years of Hungarian Unity Efforts
×