Isaac Stanley-Becker: “Viktor Orbán is the closest thing in Europe to a prime minister for life. He has served four consecutive terms since 2010, perpetuating his power with the ruthlessness of a royal. But ruthlessness may not guarantee him reelection. That became clear to me recently in Székesfehérvár, a small city in central Hungary where Orbán was born …
“Rain was lashing the city when I visited one evening last month. It was dark and cold. But close to 1,000 people had gathered in the town square, all of them waiting for Péter Magyar, a onetime Orbán loyalist who broke with the prime minister two years ago and is now trying to unseat him in elections on Sunday. Most polls have shown Magyar’s party, Tisza, with a comfortable lead over Orbán’s Fidesz Party. But it’s not a given that popular support will translate into a victory at the polls.
“Such is the state of Hungary’s democracy. Gerrymandered districts give lopsided influence to the rural countryside, traditionally fertile territory for Fidesz. Deceptive campaigning is rampant, in the form of billboards that dot Hungary’s highways, deepfakes that dominate the internet, and pro-government messaging that fills newspapers and television channels owned by the prime minister’s allies. Orbán enjoys the support of foreign governments, in both the United States and Russia. Donald Trump’s endorsements have been as forceful as any he has issued in this year’s domestic midterm elections, a sign of his personal stake in a regime revered by the MAGA movement. His vice president, J. D. Vance, traveled to Budapest this week to underline the political alliance and to advance conspiracy theories about ‘bureaucrats in Brussels’ meddling in the election, words that could have come from the lips of Kremlin spin doctors.
“It may not be obvious why an election in Hungary, a landlocked European country with a population roughly the size of Michigan’s, has commanded so much international attention. It’s not a nuclear power, a global media hub, or a center of innovation. Its language is a beast to learn. But Sunday’s vote may well be one of the most important elections in the history of postcommunist Europe. It will test the longevity of a regime that has deviated from principles of democracy and the rule of law that were vindicated by the peaceful revolutions of 1989 and later secured by the European Union, which incorporated Hungary as part of its eastward expansion in 2004. The bloc doesn’t have a mechanism to expel a wayward member, but Western diplomats told me that brazen electoral theft would inaugurate a perilous new era. Some suggested that the prime minister, who oversees entrenched patronage networks that reach into the minutiae of municipal jobs, has too much at stake to accept defeat. Each side has accused the other of planning violence if the results don’t go their way.”
No shit? What do you think has been European politics about in the last months, weeks, days, he is gonna loose everyone knows that, what kind of title is this. (unless russia does it’s thing)
BazingaDimension9042 on
If Orbans situation would be hopeless, propaganda wouldn’t be necessary
Affectionate-Let6153 on
Well, we will all learn in two days.
trzepet on
This will not age well..
Nikolays28 on
Orban may lose ≠ Orban has lost
tmrcz on
it ain’t over until it’s over
zoley88 on
Could? Will.
DrawingAlarming7350 on
no shit
oh-delay on
…if enough Hungarians do the work to unseat him.
Calcutec_1 on
He will lose and it will be glorious!
beti88 on
We’ll see how he cheats. They could just simply not accept the results if they want, the president could just simply ask for Orban again to form a government regardless the results. Their options are endless because they still have total control and hold all the power.
primax1uk on
If orban wins, the EU needs a method to kick out member states.
ThrowawaypocketHu on
As a hungarian, I believe it when I see it.
I’m tired of always hoping and then get disappointed over and over again.
AssumptionCandid6413 on
Lets hope so
drstruggleforlife on
Let’s hope he loses (and gets arrested afterwards).
Affectionate-Net-707 on
He will loose, but claim victory and continue his glorious Hungarian/Russian Empire.
17 commenti
Isaac Stanley-Becker: “Viktor Orbán is the closest thing in Europe to a prime minister for life. He has served four consecutive terms since 2010, perpetuating his power with the ruthlessness of a royal. But ruthlessness may not guarantee him reelection. That became clear to me recently in Székesfehérvár, a small city in central Hungary where Orbán was born …
“Rain was lashing the city when I visited one evening last month. It was dark and cold. But close to 1,000 people had gathered in the town square, all of them waiting for Péter Magyar, a onetime Orbán loyalist who broke with the prime minister two years ago and is now trying to unseat him in elections on Sunday. Most polls have shown Magyar’s party, Tisza, with a comfortable lead over Orbán’s Fidesz Party. But it’s not a given that popular support will translate into a victory at the polls.
“Such is the state of Hungary’s democracy. Gerrymandered districts give lopsided influence to the rural countryside, traditionally fertile territory for Fidesz. Deceptive campaigning is rampant, in the form of billboards that dot Hungary’s highways, deepfakes that dominate the internet, and pro-government messaging that fills newspapers and television channels owned by the prime minister’s allies. Orbán enjoys the support of foreign governments, in both the United States and Russia. Donald Trump’s endorsements have been as forceful as any he has issued in this year’s domestic midterm elections, a sign of his personal stake in a regime revered by the MAGA movement. His vice president, J. D. Vance, traveled to Budapest this week to underline the political alliance and to advance conspiracy theories about ‘bureaucrats in Brussels’ meddling in the election, words that could have come from the lips of Kremlin spin doctors.
“It may not be obvious why an election in Hungary, a landlocked European country with a population roughly the size of Michigan’s, has commanded so much international attention. It’s not a nuclear power, a global media hub, or a center of innovation. Its language is a beast to learn. But Sunday’s vote may well be one of the most important elections in the history of postcommunist Europe. It will test the longevity of a regime that has deviated from principles of democracy and the rule of law that were vindicated by the peaceful revolutions of 1989 and later secured by the European Union, which incorporated Hungary as part of its eastward expansion in 2004. The bloc doesn’t have a mechanism to expel a wayward member, but Western diplomats told me that brazen electoral theft would inaugurate a perilous new era. Some suggested that the prime minister, who oversees entrenched patronage networks that reach into the minutiae of municipal jobs, has too much at stake to accept defeat. Each side has accused the other of planning violence if the results don’t go their way.”
Read more: [https://theatln.tc/4t3BLxWF](https://theatln.tc/4t3BLxWF)
No shit? What do you think has been European politics about in the last months, weeks, days, he is gonna loose everyone knows that, what kind of title is this. (unless russia does it’s thing)
If Orbans situation would be hopeless, propaganda wouldn’t be necessary
Well, we will all learn in two days.
This will not age well..
Orban may lose ≠ Orban has lost
it ain’t over until it’s over
Could? Will.
no shit
…if enough Hungarians do the work to unseat him.
He will lose and it will be glorious!
We’ll see how he cheats. They could just simply not accept the results if they want, the president could just simply ask for Orban again to form a government regardless the results. Their options are endless because they still have total control and hold all the power.
If orban wins, the EU needs a method to kick out member states.
As a hungarian, I believe it when I see it.
I’m tired of always hoping and then get disappointed over and over again.
Lets hope so
Let’s hope he loses (and gets arrested afterwards).
He will loose, but claim victory and continue his glorious Hungarian/Russian Empire.