Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán on Friday called on voters to keep him as a safe bet, as thousands of young opposition supporters filled a square in Budapest celebrating his potential political demise.
Orbán addressed the nation two days before pivotal elections, saying that ousting him after 16 years in office, as independent polls suggest may happen, would imperil the nation.
“We are now facing the danger of losing everything we have built together,” Orbán said on Friday morning on his social media channel. He said “foreign intelligence services” were interfering in elections to sow “chaos”, without providing evidence.
Hungarians will hold parliamentary elections on Sunday with stakes that extend far beyond the European Union member nation of almost 10 million. Orbán won repeated endorsements from the administration of US president Donald Trump and emerged as the closest ally of Vladimir Putin in the EU as he sought to stymie sanctions against Russia.
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But his support among voters has ebbed thanks in part to mounting allegations of cronyism, the poor state of public services, and economic malaise. Independent opinion polls show the opposition, led by the former ruling party insider Peter Magyar, heading for a landslide.
A Publicus survey released on Friday put his Tisza party ahead of Orbán’s Fidesz at 52 per cent to 39 per cent among decided voters, with gains across all categories in the final stretch of the campaign. However, the outcome remains uncertain as Hungary’s electoral system gives Fidesz entrenched advantages.
Tisza is especially popular among younger voters. More than 40 artists, including local stars with millions of followers on social media, performed at an open-air concert on Friday. The event took place on the square in Budapest where Orbán launched his political career in 1989 and where Magyar has also drawn huge crowds this spring.
“We agree on one thing,” Magyar said in a response to Orbán’s address. “Hungary needs unity and so I ask you to vote for Tisza.” He urged Hungarians “not to rise to provocations” or “false flag operations” Orbán might be planning. He provided no evidence for his claims.
The prime minister has built his campaign around his hostility toward Ukraine. His decision last month to veto more than €90 billion in EU loans for Kyiv in a dispute over oil supplies has sparked dismay among European leaders.
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Orbán has long been a thorn in the EU’s side, with Brussels freezing some €20 billion in aid for his country over graft concerns. Hungary ranks as the most corrupt in the bloc, according to Transparency International.
The Hungarian leader has sought to portray criticism from Brussels as evidence of interference in his country’s affairs. US vice-president JD Vance used his visit to Budapest earlier this week to criticise the EU for allegedly meddling in the Hungarian election as he endorsed Orbán as a model of leadership for Europe.
But his appearance has so far failed to give the prime minister a boost in the polls.
Trump also repeated his “Complete and Total Endorsement” of Orbán, calling him “a true friend, fighter and WINNER” in a social post on Friday.
– Bloomberg
