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Hungary’s northwestern town of Győr on Saturday played host to rival rallies of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and opposition rival Péter Magyar, who started their early election campaign at the Olympic Sports Park and the Vienna Gate Square, respectively.
With the ballot approaching in April, Orbán —trailing in most polls to his main political rival, Péter Magyar —is scheduled to stage events in five cities before the end of the year, while Magyar, a onetime insider within Orbán’s Fidesz party who erupted onto Hungary’s political scene last year, aims to channel a growing number of dissatisfied voters into his camp.
Early campaign comes ahead of April’s election
On Saturday, Orbán and interviewer Gergő Váczi picked up on familiar themes from Friday morning radio interviews, where they touched on key issues revolving around Hungary’s financial situation, the possibility of ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, and the issue of Hungarian sovereignty vis-à-vis Brussels.
Orban repeatedly warned of the risks of an ever-spiralling war in his rally dubbed the “anti-war roadshow.”
Saturday’s series of rallies in Győr came a week after Orbán visited the White House, where he was granted a one-year exemption from US sanctions on importing oil and gas from Russia.
Giving economic analysis, Orban justified the need for the agreements reached at the Washington meeting, saying that Budapest needs a financial shield.
Asked by Váczi if the shield was needed because Hungary was not receiving EU funds, Orbán said that the EU was a shield itself if it was a friend, but if not, it could be a “thorn in the flesh.”
Since the Washington meeting, the Hungarian press has been speculating whether the moratorium on the lifting of sanctions is for one year or indefinitely; the US position is that it is for one year. Orbán was evasive on this issue, despite Váczi’s repeated inquiries.
Orban-Magyar potential debate
Meanwhile, opposition leader Péter Magyar’s rally, dubbed the “road to victory,” had the message that he and his party are ready to govern.
Magyar said for this to happen, they would have to start small; they were not promising a space station.
His Tisza party is set to announce its 106 candidates on Monday. During the selection process, Magyar said he met with doctors, heads of institutions, artists, and scientists, as well as manual workers, meetings he described as positive. He promised that the Tisza Party would leave no one by the wayside.
Earlier, the mayor of Győr offered to let the two leaders debate in the city: while Péter Magyar accepted this, Viktor Orbán rejected it, claiming that Péter Magyar is a politician controlled from Brussels.
The ruling FIDESZ party’s Győr camp said they understood Viktor Orbán’s decision not to debate Péter Magyar. One supporter said this was justified. “After all, he is not a competent person, because he talks in a muddle.”
Opposition voters in the city, however, opined that a debate between the two politicians was badly needed. As one Tisza supporter said, “Hope dies last,” so many of them remain hopeful that the debate will happen in the near future