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Rival rallies were held in the northwestern Hungarian town of Gyor on Saturday between Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and opposition rival Péter Magyar, as they launched early election campaigns at the Olympic Sports Park and Vienna Gate Square, respectively.
As voting day approaches in April, Mr. Orbán, who is trailing his main political rival Péter Magyar in most opinion polls, plans to hold events in five cities by the end of the year, as Mr. Magyar, a former insider in Mr. Orbán’s Fidesz party who burst into Hungarian politics last year, aims to win over a growing number of disaffected voters into his camp.
Early campaigning begins for April elections
On Saturday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and interviewer Görgü Vácsi covered familiar themes in a Friday morning radio interview, touching on key issues revolving around Hungary’s financial situation, Russia’s possible end to the war in Ukraine, and the question of Hungary’s sovereignty over Brussels.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán repeatedly warned at a rally he dubbed the “Anti-War Roadshow” about the danger of the war continuing to spiral.
Saturday’s series of rallies in Gyor came a week after President Orbán visited the White House and was granted a one-year exemption from US sanctions on oil and gas imports from Russia.
Prime Minister Orban justified the need for the agreement reached in Washington by providing an economic analysis and saying that Budapest needs a financial shield.
Asked by Vácsy whether a shield was needed because Hungary did not receive funds from the EU, Orbán said that if the EU was a friend it would be a shield in itself, but if it was not it could be a “thorn in the flesh”.
Since the Washington meeting, the Hungarian media has speculated whether the grace period for lifting sanctions would be for one year or indefinitely. The US position is that it is for one year. Despite repeated questions from Vaci, Orbán avoided the issue.
Potential dispute between Orbán and Hungary
Opposition leader Péter Magyar’s rally, meanwhile, was dubbed “Path to Victory” and sent a message that he and his party are ready to govern.
To achieve this, the Magyars said, they needed to start small. They didn’t promise a space station.
His Tisza party plans to announce 106 candidates on Monday. Magyar said that during the selection process he met with doctors, facility directors, artists, scientists, as well as manual workers, and said the meetings were positive. He promised that Tisza’s party would not leave anyone by the wayside.
Earlier, the mayor of Gyor proposed that the two leaders meet in the city for a debate, which Péter Magyar accepted, but Viktor Orbán rejected, claiming that Péter Magyar was a politician controlled by Brussels.
The Gyor camp of the ruling FIDESZ party said it understood Viktor Orbán’s decision not to discuss Péter Magyar. One supporter said this was justified. “After all, he is an incompetent person, because he speaks in a jumble.”
However, opposition voters in the city opined that a debate between the two politicians was much needed. As one Tisa supporter put it, “hope dies last”, and many of them continue to expect a debate to occur in the near future.