“This is a strong message for the EU”

Prime Minister of Hungary Viktor Orbánin The Fidesz party won a landslide victory in Sunday’s parliamentary elections. With more than 94% of the votes cast, Fidesz had received 53% of them.

As a result, the party is also gaining a two-thirds majority in the Hungarian parliament: 135 seats, along with its auxiliary party’s Christian KDNP, out of 200 seats.

The electoral alliance of six opposition parties formed against Fidesz had garnered 35 percent of the vote.

Katalin Miklóssya senior researcher at the Alexander Institute, expected Fidesz to win, but not with such a crushing number of votes.

– I don’t even think they need such a large majority. They have already changed all the structures in Hungary and the rule of law institutions are already in their possession, Miklóssy describes in the morning.

– But this is a strong message to the EU that they have a strong mandate, that this is exactly the kind of regime that Hungarians want.

He is also a university lecturer in political history at the University of Turku Heino Nyyssönen sees that Orbán’s strong mandate is still visible in the EU.

– Especially in EU foreign policy, which is based on consensus thinking. I will probably return to it often.

Six opposition parties joined forces against Orban, but the success of the opposition electoral alliance reached only 35 per cent. It received support, for example, in the Budapest area of ​​the capital and in points elsewhere in Hungary.

Election leader leader of the opposition prime minister Peter Marki-Zay described earlier to the media on Sunday that the opposition has had to fight in “unfair and impossible conditions”.

For example, visibility in the media controlled by Orbán’s allies was low.

Miklóssy sees that the problem for the voter from the point of view of the opposition was that there are parties in the electoral alliance from right to left and the common values ​​of the coalition remained unclear.

– The opposition communicated abstract values, such as democracy, talked about corruption and the rule of law: they say nothing to the average person, Miklóssy sums up.

According to Nyyssönen, Orbán portrayed his party as a guarantor of security and peace for the Hungarians, thus reversing Ukraine’s war-related concerns in the election campaign, to the detriment of the opposition.

According to Miklóssy, the popularity of Viktor Orbán in his homeland is explained by his image as a people who has managed to raise living standards.

– Opposition was the opposition, which communicated abstract values ​​such as democracy, corruption, the rule of law: they say nothing to the average person.

In Europe, Orbán is known as a rivalry against the EU’s rule of law and fraternity towards Russia.

Miklóssy describes that Hungary’s rapprochement with Russia began in 2011, and Orbán Vladimir Putin are good, according to Miklóssy.

– He has not condemned Russia for the war.

Nyyssönen sees that it may also be a simpler pragmatic relationship: Hungary is very dependent on Russian energy.

At the same time, Hungary is a NATO country. Miklóssy sees that Hungary could resist if it decided to apply for NATO membership.

– Maybe not completely torpedo the search, but at least slow down the process at a time when Finland is in a hurry, Miklóssy uploads.

– Finland and Hungary have icy distances. Hungary cannot tolerate the fact that Finland has criticized the development of the rule of law in the country and that Finnish MEPs have been pushing for the rule of law.

– Hungary has torpedoed Ukraine’s NATO membership as well. Although NATO tried to put pressure on Hungary over Ukraine, Hungary did not bow, Miklóssy adds.

Heino Nyyssönen, a university lecturer at the University of Turku, is a little overwhelmed.

– I think Orbán has been a school bully for years, so anything is possible. But I would argue that we need to look at such a more European overall pattern here.