Hungary: Victor Orban secures fourth term as prime minister

Hungary’s nationalist leader Victor Orban won a fourth term as prime minister on Sunday, more easily than expected.

At the age of 58, Orban faced a united opposition for the first time, determined to fight the “authoritarianism” and “corruption” of the previous 12 years.

Analysts had predicted a tough battle, but the results showed an easy victory for the outgoing prime minister: Orban’s party, Fidesz, won 53.35% of the vote after counting 93% of the ballots, compared to 34.75% for opposition, according to the National Electoral Office.

This percentage means that Fidesz will retain the two-thirds majority in parliament.

“We have achieved an amazing victory, a victory so great that they can undoubtedly be seen from the moon and in any case clearly from Brussels,” said a smiling Orban, who often comes into conflict with the EU.

“We defended the sovereignty and freedom of Hungary,” he added.

Another surprise of the election, the new far-right party Mi Hazank exceeded the 5% threshold and managed to enter parliament.

“Sadness” by Marki-Zai

The leader of the united opposition, Peter Marki-Zai, addressed his supporters late Sunday night.

“I will not hide my sadness and frustration,” he said. However, he noted that “the battle was unequal” in the face of “propaganda” and “a campaign of hatred and lies”.

Earlier yesterday, when he went to the polls, the 49-year-old mayor had denounced the “unjust and weak conditions” under which he ran his election campaign, aimed at allowing Orban “to remain in power forever”.

“We acknowledge that Fidesz won the vast majority of votes, but we doubt that this election was democratic and free,” said Markey-Zai.

For his part, Jobbik party vice-president Marto Gyeonggiosi spoke of “irregularities”.

During his 12 years in power, Orban has imposed restrictions on the media and the judiciary – at odds with the EU – while advancing his super-conservative social agenda.

The parliamentary elections were observed for the first time by more than 200 international observers, while each party had recruited its own volunteers.

“War changed everything”

The war in neighboring Ukraine broke out in the middle of an election campaign and completely turned the tables.

Orban appeared as the “protector” of Hungary, the one who can guarantee peace and stability in the country, refusing to hand over weapons to Ukraine and impose sanctions on Russia, which would deprive the Hungarians of its precious gas and oil. country.

At the same time, in the election posters and in the pro-government media, Marki-Zai appeared as “dangerous” and was accused of wanting to push the country into war by expressing his active support for Ukraine.

Despite the fact that Markey-Zay underlined Orban’s close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, calling him “Hungarian Putin”, he did not seem to convince voters.

Orban presented his unexpected victory as revenge against many “opponents”, referring to “the bureaucrats in Brussels, the international media or even the Ukrainian president” Volodymyr Zelensky, who had blamed him directly for staying out of conflict.

Matteo Salvini, leader of the nationalist Lega party in Italy, and the president of the far-right National Alarm, Marine Le Pen from France, hurried to “congratulate” Orban.

In addition to the parliamentary elections, Hungarians were called to vote yesterday in a referendum on “child protection” over a recent bill banning the mention of “gender reassignment and homosexuality” to children under the age of 18.

According to some results, not enough valid votes have been collected.

SOURCE: AMPE