The Little Hungarian Revolution: Five Changes Brought by the Political Earthquake in Opposition Primaries – Denník N

The second round of Hungarian opposition primaries, whose results were announced on Sunday evening, redrawn the political map in Hungary.

The united opposition has so far been dominated by left-wing parties, which have been the strongest in the capital. They were complemented by a right-wing Jobbik with an extremist past, which competed with the ruling Fidesz in some smaller villages.

However, in the second round of primaries, the independent right-wing mayor Péter Márki-Zay from southern Hungary surprisingly won.

His victory resulted in several fundamental changes ahead of the parliamentary elections to be held in April 2022.

Opposition primaries aroused unexpected interest among voters: the first and second rounds of primaries were attended by about 850,000 people, or 11 percent of all eligible voters and nearly a third of voters who voted opposition parties in 2018. According to the portal 444.hu this ratio is slightly higher than the usual participation in similar primary schools, for example in France or Italy.

Dramatic moments

The primaries brought several dramatic moments.

Three candidates made the second round: Klára Dobrev, wife of former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány and nominee of his Democratic Coalition party, Mayor of Budapest Gergely Karácsony and Mayor of Hódmezővásárhely Péter Márki-Zay.

Negotiations began between Karácsony and Márki-Zay immediately after the first round for one of them to give up in favor of the other. Karácsony insisted for a long time that Márki-Zay should resign, but he argued with surveys that he said he had a better chance of defeating Viktor Orbán.

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Two days before the second round, he finally gave up in favor of Márki-Zaya Karácsona and called on his constituents to support an independent candidate. Márki-Zaya was also supported by the liberal Momentum movement, to which other parties of opposition cooperation gradually joined: the Socialist Party of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the left-green parties Párbeszéd (Dialogue) and the LMP.

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Sharp campaign

Dobrev and Marki-Zay met several times in television discussions, which brought fierce battles. Marki-Zay claimed that the Democratic Coalition blackmailed his colleagues during the first round of primaries, while Dobrev accused his opponent of lying and incompetence.

Márki-Zay also attacked Fidesz sharply, especially through the topic of homosexuality, which has become one of Viktor Orbán’s main political topics in recent months.

He said that “half of the government is made up of homosexuals” and “one of the most important ministers is also homosexual.” Márki-Zay condemned Fidesz’s hate campaign against sexual minorities.

Márki-Zaya’s campaign took place mainly in the online space: as the government in Hungary controls a large part of the media, independent platforms have moved to YouTube. After his victory on Sunday night, Márki-Zay thanked in particular for supporting the influencers who invited him to their shows.

Despite the sharp campaign, however, after the publication of the results, Klára Dobrev acknowledged her loss and congratulated the winner. Marki-Zay also expressed his willingness to work with her.

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Opposition revolution

Tame Revolution, Love Revolution, Small Revolution. The opposition leaders described the primaries on Sunday evening with these terms.

“The only fateful question remained in our lives until the elections in the spring of 2022. No internal disputes, no right and left, no Roma, gays, Jews, no difference between the countryside and the city or between Hungarians in Hungary and abroad. The only question left: will Fidesz or not, “said Péter Márki-Zay on Sunday evening.

So how did opposition primaries change Hungarian policy? We have summarized the most fundamental changes in five points.

1. Márki-Zay has become a real common denominator

Gergely Karácsony tried