Budapest: Hungary’s right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made history when his Fidesz party swept back to power for the third time in a row since 2010.
Armed with the super majority, the 54-year-old will serve a third consecutive term in office to pursue his nationalistic vision.
Orbán based his campaign on an anti-immigration platform, saying that wealthy Jewish philanthropist George Soros, the European Union and the United Nations are conspiring to turn Hungary into an “immigrant country.”
Elected for a fourth term, Hungary’s anti-immigrant nationalist leader poses a profound challenge for the European Union.
Since returning as prime minister in 2010, Orbán has been criticized for putting a curb on the judiciary and independent media.
Speaking after the results were declared Orbán said, “I can tell you that tonight we have emerged from a great battle and we have achieved a crucial victory: we have been given – and we have created – the opportunity to defend Hungary.”
He stressed that “our country, Hungary, is not yet where we would like it to be; but it has set out on the path it has chosen for itself. Together we shall follow this path.”
Capitalizing on its sweeping election victory, Fidesz party stated that it could push through the so-called “Stop Soros” laws targeting civic groups and people aiding refugees as soon as May.
Zoltán Kovács, Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Relations had earlier said: “In recent weeks and days several statements have been made concerning the systematic attempt to break Hungary that the Soros organizations are trying to achieve using various instruments”. “We arrived at the latest stop in this process on Wednesday, when the European Parliament’s report that is in preparation against Hungary, and which will be presented next week, was leaked”, he added.
All the leading right-wing populist political parties across Europe congratulated Orbán. Geert Wilders of the Dutch Party for Freedom tweeted that the result was “a well-deserved victory”. Marine Le Pen, leader of the French National Front, hailed Hungarian voters’ rejection “of the inversion of values and of mass immigration”.
Orbán’s victory has shocked Brussels, where he is regarded as a difficult customer.
