The election campaign was dominated by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which brought Orban’s long-standing relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin under control. In his winning speech, Orban called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky one of the “rivals” he had to overcome during the campaign. Hungary is heavily dependent on Russian energy, and Orban has avoided the opportunity to condemn Putin’s attack on its neighboring state, complicating the EU’s efforts to present a united front against him. But despite polls predicting a tighter race, Orban’s Fidesz party won comfortably in much of the country. Opposition leader Peter Markey-Zei failed to win in his own constituency, where he was mayor. “We have such a victory that can be seen from the moon, but it can certainly be seen from Brussels,” Orban said in a speech on Sunday night, shedding light on his government’s longstanding tensions with EU leaders. “We will remember this victory for the rest of our lives because we had to fight against a huge number of opponents,” Orban said, citing several of his political enemies, including the Hungarian left, “bureaucrats” in Brussels, the international media. information. “And the Ukrainian president too – we have never had so many opponents at the same time.”
A thorny relationship with the EU
Orb έχειn has gained close control of Hungary’s judiciary, media and educational institutions during his 12-year term, which is now set to be extended until 2026. He has promoted legislation targeting immigrants and the community. LGBTQ + and has spoken of his intention to build a “free” state within the EU. Critics have long complained that he has tilted the political arena against his opponents. Last month, the European Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE) launched a full-scale international monitoring of the April 3 polls – a rare move for an EU country – after assessing allegations of ” general deterioration of the conditions for democratic elections “. “Everyone in Budapest could see tonight that Christian Democratic, Conservative and nationalist policies have won,” Orban said Sunday night. “Our message to Europe is that it is not the past but the future. This will be our common European future.” Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Orban has campaigned mainly on a platform to keep Hungarian troops and weapons away from the conflict. He has backed most of the EU sanctions against Russia since invading Ukraine, but has resisted going further and presented himself as a peacemaker to voters. On Wednesday, the foreign minister accused the Ukrainian government of coordinating with Hungary’s opposition parties, without giving details. The opposition criticized him for his attitude. “Putin is rebuilding the Soviet empire and Orban is just watching it with strategic calm,” opposition leader Marki-Zei said at a rally in March, Reuters reported. But Marki-Zay conceded defeat late Sunday, telling supporters: “We are not talking about Fidesz winning, but we are talking about this election being democratic and uniform. “We will stay in this country, we will stand up for each other, we will hold hands and we will not let each other go. Difficult times are coming, regardless of the election results. We know that they will accuse us, we will be the scapegoats. so it’s more important than ever to hold each other’s hand and not let it go. “ Even before the invasion, Orban had a thorny relationship with the EU. His government has been criticized by senior members of the bloc for rule of law issues. earlier this year, the european supreme court allowed the EU to block Hungary and Poland’s funding for democratic rights violations. A referendum was also held Sunday on Orban’s controversial law banning educational materials and programs for children believed to promote homosexuality and gender reassignment.
