"The year 2024 could not have taken a worse start. Our President of the Republic has submitted her resignation. It's like a nightmare. Our president, who was wothy of representing Hungary in the world, has stepped down. She embodied the good self of the Hungarian people who, as a mother, showed men in her natural way that women's mindset is also indispensable in politics," PM Viktor Orban said in his annual state of the nation address. She did the right thing by resigning, but it’s a great loss for Hungary, PM Orban added.
The balance must be restored
"Her decision to pardon was rejected by an overwhelming majority of Hungarians. What happened was what had to happen in this situation. The imbalance can only be corrected by the resignation of the president and the election of a new president," the prime minister said.
"The resignation of the justice minister is an inevitable and, I believe, unjust consequence of the laws of state life," the prime minister said, referring to the resignation of Judit Varga. He added that if a time machine existed and we could go back to the past, and the two politicians who resigned would surely correct their mistakes. However, there is no time machine, so it is the government’s task to remedy the situation.
Their resignation was the right move, and it strengthens us. On behalf of all of us, I thank the president and the justice minister for their work,
said the prime minister. On the controversy surrounding the resignations, he noted that the two women who resigned had more dignity in their little fingers than all the leaders of the Left put together.
"If there is a problem, we should at least have the benefit of learning from it together. The drama unfolding before our eyes reminds us of the risks we face every day," he said. Today, when the independence of nation states is in the crosshairs of the world's powerful centers of money and power, the risks are particularly high.
"A valuable lesson is that the laws of boxing are more useful in politics today than the rules of ballet dancing. Whether you're Mike Tyson or Muhammad Ali, in politics you're always just one punch off the floor, so only careful consideration and caution can help," he said, adding that knocking out your opponent with a preemptive strike can also help.
The iron law of politics: humility
"The iron law of modern politics is humility," he said, pointing out that no matter how high you are, you can never be clever on your own. There is no protected place, one can make mistakes even in the highest office. A political mistake remains a mistake even if there is an explanation.
"The resignation gave Hungary a chance to emerge from the crisis stronger, and we will," PM Orban underlined. He pointed out that
the Hungarian child protection system must be strengthened.
He indicated that a new child protection law is to be submitted to parliament. His message to the Left, which he described as two-faced, was that they could fight there.
"Keep the transition period to a minimum, as befits a strong governing party," he said, sending a message to the parliamentary group of Fidesz in connection with the election of a new head of state.
He went on to say that they have had to work under pressure for five years, which is a strain on everyone- For the fifth year, the whole country and every family have been working hard to protect what we have achieved. We have manged to protect jobs.
We have managed to create one million new jobs.
Never before have so many people been working in Hungary as now, he said. He stressed that the government have also managed to protect pensions, and that it was a feat that they have managed to restore the 13th month pension, which was taken away by the previous left-wing governments. The prime minister thanked Finance Minister Mihaly Varga for this achievement.
We have avoided twin deficits
We have managed to maintain high levels of foreign trade and exports, thus avoiding what economists call twin deficits, a financial phenomenon where budget deficits and foreign trade deteriorate simultaneously, usually resulting in financial bankruptcy and economic austerity measures. The fact that this did not happen is due to the unquestionable efforts of Peter Szijjarto, he said, thanking the minister of foreign affairs and trade for his work.
PM Orban went on to point out that it was possible to bring Hungarians living in neighboring countries closer: three bridges were built on the Ipoly River to connect with Slovakia, there are ten trains a day running between Szeged and Subotica (Szabadka) in Serbia, and there are three fligts a week between Budapest and Cluj (Kolozsvar) in Transylvania.
With the help of the central bank, inflation was driven down from a record high of 25 percent to below 4 percent, the budget deficit was kept on a downward path, the minimum wage was raised by 15 percent and the minimum wage for skilled workers by 10 percent.
As we have managed to get out of an extra difficult 2023, we cannot be dissatisfied, Viktor Orban pointed out, adding that this is a good thing, but people want more than that, noting that
in football, the winner is not the team that has more tackles, but the team that scores more goals.
Talking about 2024, he suggested recalling the last year of peace in 2019. We need to get back on that path in 2024. The bookmakers are taking bets on Hungary's success, according to the prime minister, but even so Economy Minister Marton Nagy will not have an easy job. The world has changed a lot since then, and we cannot ignore that, he added.
Green energy is the future
The future belongs to green energy and those who can make the switch swiftly and sensibly. The government is united, we have a two-thirds majority in parliament, and when it comes to people, the benefit of this stability is that we can adapt with lightning speed, Mr Orban said. "We are the best in Europe in adapting to change, and this is an irreplaceable competitive advantage, which is why it is such a thorn in many people's eyes, he added.
In order to complete the green transition, green energy has to be produced and stored, PM Orban said. He indicated that without nuclear energy, fossil energy cannot be abandoned. - Our solar power development programme is making great strides. We have broken all plans and records. Minister Csaba Lantos will really work wonders in the end," he added.
He pointed out that Hungary was only a few years away from reaching energy independence. Storing the produced energy is a tougher nut to crack, he stressed, adding, however, that Hungary was at the forefront of Europe in this area. The Hungarian government is spending hundreds of billions of forints on this, PM Orban said. In his view, poeple's legitimate expectations must be taken into account, he said, so only plants that are safe by European standards can operate in Hungary.
"Since time immemorial, we are now not the followers but the global leaders of a technological transformation, thus saving our car factories," he said, referring to the increasing production capacities.
We can't afford to have the same insanity as the German Greens, that a good car is one that never gets produced,
he added. The production worth of Hungary's automotive industry is 13 billion forints, and it employes hundreds of thousands of families.
"The green car transition in Hungary is a huge technological success," Mr Orban said.
We are never short of plans
The national side has never been short of plans, PM Orban remarked, adding that although Hungarians are better off now than in the Gyurcsany era (ex-PM of Hungary - ed.), things aren't as good as they would like. he said the government has a good plan to achieve this, but one condition for it is to be among the first to understand the transformation of the world order and adapt to it, as swiftly as possible.
Besides, we also stay out of the sanctions policy and resist the formation of blocks in the world, which is essentially the new Cold War. The fourth step, according to PM Orban, is to open up and trade. We will develop roads, bridges, railways, and create new education that'll will produce more Nobel Prize winners.
The fifth step is to prop up Hungarian companies that want to grow and are successful abroad, to bolster our traditional and strong Hungarian industries, and to invest in new, world-leading industrial sectors.
"By this, we'll put Hungary and Budapest back on the global map as the inescapable political, economic, cultural and commercial center of gravity of the Carpathian Basin. In this region we will once again be unavoidable and inescapable", PM Orban said.
2024 will be a year of successes, again
2024 will be a year of successes for Hungary, but the question is from where we can expect support, and from where we can anticipate attacks, Hungary's prime minister said. "It is good news that our dispute with Sweden is nearing a conclusion. We are on track for parliament to ratify Sweden's NATO accession on the first day of the spring session.
Regarding the European Union, he emphasized that 2023 was all about the EU's failures.
"We joined the EU 20 years ago. Over time, we've acquired a deep understanding of it and it's doubtful whether we can lean against this tree," PM Orban remarked.
He mentioned that often, the good things came from the West, but they had to be modified. He said people can hardly believe what they see, because it's a constant influx of troubles from Brussels. "We declared, all in vain, that the war is not ours, yet Brussels has plunged itself into the conflict. We are alone in our position for peace, just as we were alone in our anti-migration stance, and the same will apply for the war," Mr Orban said.
Pressure has reached a new level
He called it a tragedy that hundreds of thousands of people have died in the war. He added that Hungary supports peace and will not supply weapons. According to PM Orban, the pressure has reached a level where
ambassadors show up in parliament to check whether the "dollar left" is behaving properly.
"To give them a bit of help, we can reveal that this is not a good tactic. We, Hungarians, are like good espresso. We need plenty of pressure to be our best," he said.
Hungary staying out of the war does not mean that the country is out of the water yet, Mr Orban said. There is a gaping 37-billion-euro hole in Ukraine's budget for this year, the USA's enthusiasm in funding Ukraine is diminishing, so the job will fall on Europe, which already suffers from an ailing economy. "There is a great deal at stake here," he said.
According to PM Orban, the joint loan is not a good idea, because if one party fails, the others will also follow suit. He said they should drive home the message to the EU that a joint loan is not an option for Hungary, and he asked for the help of the ruling party's parliamentary group to do just this.
EU bureaucrats want us to eat fake meat, GMO products, crickets and bugs instead of healthy, locally produced food, Mr Orban said. He said the farmers protesting in Brussels told him: "let those who have two mothers eat this crap". Mr Orban emphasized that the EU was merely responsible for 7% of global greenhouse gas emissions, compared with 40% for the US and China.
Why can't others see that it's a kiss of death, but it's not the receiver, but the giver who dies?
PM Orban asked.
"Western countries are rich. They still have money, which will cover up the problem for a while, but Europe's competitiveness has been eroded by the war, the sanctions and the formation of blocs," Mr Orban underlined.
Trump's return could be a turning point
According to Mr Orban, Brussels has abandoned the Balkans because it needs money for Ukraine. - The distance between Brussels and European people has never been greater, so we need a change, which must be forced through. Europe must reconquer Brussels, Mr Orban said. The year 2024 could be a turning point, opening up great opportunities for Hungary, he remarked.
"If the good Lord helps us, Hungary's room for manoeuvre will broaden to an extent that it's not seen for a long time. We want Donald Trump to return to the presidency and bring peace to the eastern half of Europe," he added.
A resurgence of greatness in America and Europe, connectivity, stronger Slovak-Austrian-Hungarian-Serbian regional cooperation, and a sovereignist turnaround in Brussels, this is what we want under the Christmas tree at year's end," Mr Orban said.
Brussels bureaucrats will not pull Europe out of the hot water, he explained. It's not worth wasting energy to try and convince them, "we don't shoe a dead horse." According to Mr Orban, real change can be brought about by a new European right, of which we, Hungarians, are a part. He emphasized that, instead of being Europe's alternative, the new right wing must be a European alternative.
"This is how we should view the upcoming European Parliament elections. This is how and why it is worth fighting for victory", Hungary's prime minister concluded.
Live from the scene
Starting today at 3 pm, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivers his annual State of the Nation Speech at the Várkert Bazaar, in Budapest. Hír TV provides live coverage of the event, and - in this article - we also provide our readers with live covergae of Mr Orban's address. Magyar Nemzet's correspondent is also on the scene.
Cover photo: Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivers his annual State of the Nation address at the Várkert Bazaar in Budapest, on February 17, 2024 (Fotó: Szilard Koszticsak/MTI)
