“He never objected in any case to the Fidesz leadership or the Fidesz government. And now he objects, for the first time, to defend his seat,” Bálint Magyar, a former Hungarian cabinet minister, told POLITICO.
Blind eye
The president’s unpopularity may help explain why Magyar feels free to attack him in caustic terms.
“How, after so much cowardice, turning a blind eye, and lying, could you possibly embody the unity of this beautiful nation?” Magyar said in his first parliamentary speech after winning the election. “In my opinion, you cannot. Mr. President, it is time to leave with your head held high, while you still can.”
During his interview with POLITICO, Sulyok portrayed himself as unaffected by such attacks. He also sidestepped questions about rule-of-law violations during Orbán’s reign and portrayed himself an apolitical actor who abides by the letter of the law.
“My personal sentiments and emotions have no public law significance,” he said. “I’m rooting for the success of the new parliament and the new government, because that is in the fundamental interest of every Hungarian.”
But, he added, the constitional crisis caused by Magyar’s attempts to remove him had to be resolved.
“A constitutional crisis is bad for a country,” he said.
In addition to disrupting the country’s domestic politics, Sulyok added: “It erodes the country’s image and its international prestige.”