Viktor Orbán’s Victory Shadowed by a Cloud of Controversy

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was recently re-elected with a solid margin, but his government faces criticism from all sides. The opposition calls it corrupt and authoritarian, Russians don’t like that it is a member of NATO, and the West disapproves of Hungary’s continued heavy reliance on Russian gas.

Corruption

Orbán’s party Fidesz has been so popular that it has managed to win power alone, but Fidesz has implemented several policies that the opposition and many international observers call authoritarian. In the 2022 election, a coalition of nearly all opposition parties united under the slogan: Oust Orbán from power.

The coalition supporting the opponent Péter Márki-Zay -- consisting of far-right ethno-nationalists, feminists, greens, and socialists -- accused Fidesz of massive corruption. Orbán won a comfortable victory with an 8% margin, but the opposition claimed that systematic cheating was involved.

Populism

Orbán is known mainly for his staunch anti-globalism and a right-wing populism intended to strengthen the national identity, the nuclear family, and strict immigration policies. Former President Donald Trump praised him in the past, making many people reflexively label him as evil.

LGBTQ

In Europe, Orbán is known as an EU critic and skeptical of radical gender ideology. The EU recently placed economic sanctions on Hungary for its anti-grooming laws, perceived as hateful toward LGBTQ people. Another dimension of the EU opposition is that Fidesz is the leading party in the European Parliament’s EU-skeptical national populist voting bloc.

Russia

Russia is not fond of Hungary due to its NATO membership. Orbán has publicly condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine, and Hungary is also the country that has received the second-largest quota of Ukrainian refugees, topped only by Poland.

NATO

However, Hungary also heavily relies on Russian gas and has maintained strong relations with Moscow. Orbán has refused to condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin by name and does not allow NATO to send troops or weapons through Hungarian territory into Ukraine. While the Hungarian government has supported EU sanctions against wealthy Russian oligarchs, it has sternly opposed any blockade or sanctions against Russian oil and gas sales. The EU and NATO are not pleased.

Difficult Situation

In addition, a significant portion of Hungarians, especially among the young, is firmly in favor of the EU and fiercely opposed to Putin. Thus, despite the support from the majority, Orbán finds himself opposed and attacked from all sides. Although some and perhaps even most of the criticism leveled against Fidesz and its leader is propaganda, there is enough truth in it that they play some role in their difficult situation.

Corruption is a massive problem in all Eastern European countries, and Hungary is no exception. Fidesz could have made Hungary less reliant on Russian gas by investing more heavily in nuclear power. Still, the lure of cheap Russian gas and technology in the short term has generated the conundrum of long-term unhealthy dependency.