In the midst of the polls, former member of his clan Péter Magyar is leading ahead of Hungarian nationalist leader Viktor Orbán, who can rely on a loyal electorate, especially in small municipalities. This local anchorage could lead his party to victory in the legislative elections on April 12th. Reporting.
On this market day, Zoltán is out in the center of Martonvásár, a small town of 5,700 residents. “I feel good here, everything we need in terms of culture, sports, health, and infrastructure is here,” says the former employee of a school supply company. Renovated square, cultural center, health center, synthetic football field…
Under the control of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, this town located thirty kilometers from Budapest has benefited from numerous investments from the Hungarian state and the European Union. The conservative party of the leader has won all local and national elections there…
On the contrary, Zoltán sees Orbán as a defender of the rule of law. “I experienced dictatorship in Hungary. Under the communist era (1948-1989), my parents told me to be careful about what I said. We easily ended up in prison. During a gathering in June 1989, Viktor Orbán courageously proclaimed to the crowd that the Soviets should go home.”
What he likes about Viktor Orbán? “His patriotism” but also his “peasant common sense”. “He comes from a small village. He speaks clearly, we understand what he says. And he has immense experience, political sense, historical knowledge… everything required to make a good politician,” says the supporter. For Zoltán, the strong man of Budapest is a visionary…
“In 2015, Orbán recognized what no one saw at the time: that if we don’t stop immigration, there will be big economic and security problems. I’m not jealous of Austrians, French, or Germans, because what the migrants do there is problematic. I respect Viktor Orbán a lot for this.” As for the recent revelations of collusion between the Hungarian Foreign Minister and his Russian counterpart…
As one of the two million retirees in the country of 9.5 million inhabitants, he benefits from a thirteenth month of retirement, and recently, a fourteenth month of benefits, partially just before the elections… Two steps from the market square, Izabella walks her 2 and 4-year-old children in the park. She also appreciates the pro-natalist policy of the government. “We had a grant for free use, the ‘baby loan’, with which we were able to buy our house without interest.”…
This aid allowed the thirty-year-old to finance a quarter of the price of her house. “And then there’s the non-taxation. As a mother of two children, I don’t pay income tax, which means an extra 90,000 forints (just over 200 euros) each month.”
At the exit of the supermarket, Tamás, 68, will vote for stability. “I don’t particularly like Viktor Orbán, but he is an intelligent and experienced man. In this uncertain world, in my opinion, it would be very bad for the country if completely inexperienced people come to power.” The 68-year-old florist has made his predictions: “There will be an indecisive parliament and that will not be good for the country in any case. It will be decided by one or two votes.”
