BUDAPEST – Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has announced his return to open political combat and sharply criticized his main political rival, Péter Magyar. According to Orbán, the current developments in Hungary are so serious that it is time for active resistance. His statement comes during a period of intensifying political conflict between the incumbent governing party Fidesz and the new political movement surrounding Magyar.
"This cannot continue like this. It is time for national resistance. Patience has ended, fair treatment has ended, all one-sided gestures have ended," Orbán declared. His words represent a significant sharpening of political rhetoric and signal his desire to personally engage more actively in the pre-election race.
In his statement, Orbán criticized primarily Magyar's policy direction towards the European Union. According to him, there is a risk that Magyar's government could gradually turn Hungary into a "colony of Brussels" and hand over a significant part of the Hungarian economy to foreign interests. This line of argumentation has long been one of the main themes of Orbán's political communication, which emphasizes national sovereignty, independent decision-making in Budapest, and resistance to excessive influence by European Union institutions.
In recent years, Péter Magyar has become one of Viktor Orbán's most prominent rivals. His political movement managed to appeal to a segment of voters dissatisfied with the long-standing Fidesz government and created a new pole in Hungarian politics. The clash between both camps is thus gradually transforming into a key political struggle over the country's future direction.
Orbán is now trying to mobilize his supporters by emphasizing national interests and rejecting what he labels as foreign political and economic pressure. His statement also suggests that the pre-election campaign could be highly confrontational.
The political contest will therefore not only concern domestic economy, social policy, or state functioning. One of its main themes will also be the question of Hungary's relationship with the European Union, the degree of national sovereignty, and the role of foreign capital in the Hungarian economy. Orbán's declaration of "national resistance" may thus mark the beginning of a new phase of his political campaign against Magyar.
gnews.cz - Jan Vojtěch