Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said yesterday that Hungarians will have to choose between two parties in next year’s parliamentary elections.
“Hungary has only two choices in a strategic sense. One choice is to join the politics of Brussels. That, in my opinion, would be disastrous, with consequences that would push us into chaos and poverty,” Orbán told supporters of his Fidesz party.
Political analysts predict that Orban will face the most difficult elections since he came to power in 2010. The Hungarian economy is stagnating, and inflation prevents the reduction of interest rates, which amount to 6.5 percent, which is the highest level in the European Union.
Orban has repeatedly clashed with the European Union over the rights of migrants, the LGBT community, the freedom of courts and academics, and support for neighboring Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022. Yesterday, he expressed doubts about the future of the European Union.
“The European Union is falling apart before our eyes. Only a fundamental reorganization can stop the forces that are tearing the Union apart. If we do not act, the next budget will be the last budget of the European Union,” he warned.
“We are facing the task of drafting the budget of the European Union for the period 2028-2035. Even if this budget is adopted, which is highly unlikely. Even if it is adopted, it will be the last seven-year budget,” he noted.
“In order not to collapse, the European Union must be thoroughly reorganized. Because today the forces that separate it are growing, while the forces that hold it together are disappearing. Reorganization could reverse this trend, making it in the interest of the majority of member states to remain in the European Union,” he added.
Orban’s biggest challenger in the elections will be Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza party, which is ahead of Orban’s Fidesz in most polls. Magyar warned yesterday that Hungary is stuck in multiple crises at the same time, including the cost of living, public trust and democratic standards.
He promised to revive the Hungarian economy by releasing billions of euros of blocked European funds. “Our country will once again be an active, credible member of the European Union and NATO,” he announced.
