In Budapest, Viktor Orban launches his campaign targeting “Brussels” – archyde

“Brussels = dictatorship”. It is behind this sign written in English that tens of thousands of Viktor Orban supporters marched, Saturday, October 23, in the heart of Budapest. Officially intended to commemorate the anti-Soviet insurrection of 1956, this gigantic gathering was used above all to launch the campaign of the Hungarian nationalist prime minister for the legislative elections of April 2022. At 58 years old, the head of the Magyar government hopes to win a fourth term. in a row at the head of this central European country with 9.8 million inhabitants

But these are shaping up to be as tight as ever against a united opposition for the first time since 2010, which Mr. Orban has explicitly accused of being manipulated from the outside. ” We will win ” face “In Brussels, Washington and to the media directed from abroad”, Mr Orban thus launched in front of a compact crowd, brought from all the country by whole bus, as well as Italian and Polish nationalist militants. Very vocal, they detonated in a Hungarian audience, if not rather elderly and obedient, and which marched in near silence, waving a tide of Hungarian flags and signs attacking the European Union (EU) and left.

“We don’t want any change, because Orban safeguards the nation and protects families”, thus summarizes Tibor Tar, retiree of 72 years, who carries a sign distributed by the organizers – an NGO close to the power. “We don’t want Brussels to tell us what to do”, added his comrade, Istvan, at his side, faithfully repeating the line of Fidesz, Mr. Orban’s party. Wrapped in a Hungarian flag, Margit Talis, 74, declares her admiration for “Anti-LGBT values” of M. Orban, but she nevertheless admits “To be a little afraid too” that the opposition can win.

Brussels and the “Brezhnev doctrine”

For the first time in twelve years, six parties ranging from the left to a formation from the far right have in fact formed an alliance in view of these legislative elections where the voting system favors the party that wins. Following a primary bringing together more than 600,000 voters, an outsider, the provincial mayor Peter Marki-Zay, 49, was elected Sunday, October 17 as his sole candidate. Coming from no party, the latter is defined as “Conservative and Christian”, while being firmly “Pro-European”, unlike Mr. Orban.

On Saturday, the nationalist prime minister did not once mention the name of his new opponent during his speech, but he explicitly accused him of being manipulated by the left and of being “Fight to be the best representative of Brussels and Soros”, this American billionaire of Hungarian origin who became the bête noire of power. Gold “Brussels behaves with us and the Poles like enemies”, lambasted Mr. Orban, referring to the legal battle waged by the European institutions around the multiple attacks on the rule of law observed in the two countries. A policy that he even compared to the “Brezhnev doctrine”, named after the Soviet policy of intervention in the former socialist republics.

You have 48.6% of this article to read. The rest is for subscribers only.