Fidesz Wins Big as Bluffing Tisza Party Retreats – No Damage-Control Voodoo Surveys Will Help

Fidesz secured a landslide victory with two-thirds of the votes at the by-election in Tolna.

Krisztina Csibi secures victory at the Tolna by-election (Photo: Tolnai Nepujsag / Kiss Albert)

There are few parliamentary elections in which almost everyone can claim victory. As surprising or unbelievable as it may seem, this recent by-election in Tolna county falls into that rare category. While the candidate of the Fidesz-Christian Democrat (KDNP) party alliance, Krisztina Csibi, came in first place in Tolna's second electoral district - which includes the Bonyhad and Dombovar regions - those who had the courage to run, campaign, and do all the work involved can also claim some form of victory. In other words, compared to the parties that were too afraid to step onto the political scale and retreated, the likes of Our Homeland (Mi Hazank), MSZP, and the Democratic Coalition (DK) can feel a sense of victory.

However, based on all of this, there is definitely a clear loser in Sunday’s election, which – perhaps needless to say – is the bluffing Tisza Party.

At first glance, this strange, heterogeneous group, controlled and supported from abroad, might not seem worth much attention. However, given their unjustified self-confidence and a mouth as wide as the Ram Gorge – even after their most recent cowardly retreat – it's impossible to overlook their spectacular failure. This is the election that the Tisza Party had already lost before they even decided not to run, and no subsequent damage-control or 'Median-style' polling can help them now.

The lesson for Tisza's sect leader should be clear: one cannot win a swimming race without diving into the pool, simply because they're afraid of the water. However, in certain circles, this is still possible, since we live in a free country, as demonstrated by the fact that public mischief is allowed. But at most, this would only earn them medals in a cowardice competition. With their pompous demands and indecisive, "tossing-around" approach to every election, the Tisza Party might as well rebrand themselves as the Tosza Party,

But this past Sunday marked the moment of truth—the day when support lines were finally drawn. This could put an end to the forced, artificial debates about whether early parliamentary elections are necessary. After all, if anyone can point to a political contest that was held earlier than the recent by-election in early January, they truly deserve a non-existent political Nobel Prize. It’s suspicious that those who didn’t want to take advantage of such an excellent opportunity are now intent on boycotting any contest where they might face rivals or challengers.

There is, however, another winner in this by-election besides the Fidesz-KDNP party alliance, and that's the system of civil values.

The unexpectedly high voter turnout, given the season, already signaled that responsible citizens were in the majority in the electoral district. The people of Tolna county knew that the eyes of the nation were on them, and they delivered. They weren't discouraged, even though many had already considered the contest for the late Arpad Janos Potapi’s vacant parliamentary seat to be a done deal. Even opposition parties didn’t feel they had much chance on January 12, which was evident from their failure to field a joint candidate, a deviation from previous practices.

Becsületükre legyen mondva, szintén a korábbiaktól eltérően nem hallatszottak a szokásos baloldali nagyképű jóslatok sem az egetverő – s rendre elmaradó – diadalukról. Egyedül a versenyen indulni nem merő blöff­ember kiabált be tegnap délután a pályán kívülről fröcsögve, szokás szerint a kormánypártokat ócsárolva. Úgyhogy a szereplők hozták a szokásos formájukat, a meglepetés pedig az irracionális, önérdektipró háborúpártiság támogatásának hiányában elmaradt. Ez volt a jó választás.

To their credit, and unlike in the past, the usual arrogant left-wing predictions of a stunning – and consistently missed – victory were absent. Only the bluffing coward, unwilling to enter the race, was shouting from the sidelines yesterday afternoon, as usual, attacking the ruling parties. So, the participants stuck to their usual roles, and the surprise – in the absence of the irrational, self-destructive support for a pro-war stance – never materialized. This was the right choice.