On Tuesday evening, Prime Minister Viktor Orban campaigned in Rackeve to urge locals to take part in the ongoing public opinion vote (Voks 2025) on Ukraine's EU membership. The prime minister began by recalling his visit to the town on Csepel Island during both the 2002 and 2006 parliamentary election campaigns (in 2002 Fidesz managed to win here, flipping the seat in the second round).
He said that in politics, no victory is predetermined, and then remarked:
Anyone who is certain of winning, is sure to lose.
The prime minister spoke about having created a migrant-free country and Europe’s only family-centered system. He stated that he and his government are carrying out Europe’s largest tax reduction program, and that mothers with at least two children would no longer have to pay personal income tax in the future.
Viktor Orban summarized the government’s plans in ten points, five economic and five political. He mentioned price regulations first, and foreshadowed Wednesday's government meeting agenda, announcing that industrial goods retailers will be allowed a maximum profit margin of 15%. He also touched on the already launched VAT refunds for pensioners, the Demjan Sandor program to support small and medium-sized enterprises, and reiterated the income tax exemption for mothers.
Among the political goals, he mentioned the issue of Ukraine and the Pride Parade, on the latter giving primacy to the protection of children instead.
The government will also discuss screening foreign-funded NGOs, and is combatting drugs, and supporting villages. Viktor Orban stressed that all of these will be carried out this year.
Ukraine's EU Membership Is a Bad Deal
He recalled that o Tuesday, Manfred Weber once again voiced support for Ukraine’s EU membership and attacked Hungary. In response, the prime minister said Hungary’s EU membership had been beneficial for the entire Union:
We were admitted because we were a good deal. If Ukraine’s admission were a good deal, I would support it – but it’s a bad deal,
Viktor Orban said, adding that he supports Serbia’s membership, which would be a good deal for Hungary.
The EU wants us, Central Europeans, to pay the cost of Ukraine’s EU membership,
the prime minister said.
He also addressed the EU’s new energy plan, which would ban Russian gas and oil imports, and warned that in such a case, Hungary’s utility cost reduction program could not be maintained.
We need a government that protects the results that we Hungarians have worked so hard achieve,
he added.
Orban emphasized that no other political force in Hungary besides Fidesz–KDNP is capable of doing this. He claimed that all other parties represent Brussels’s interests in Hungary -
even the party that cunningly adopted the name of a Hungarian river,
he said, referring to the Tisza Party.
He said if Fidesz doesn’t win the 2026 elections, Brussels will install a government over the will of the Hungarian people.
The Recipe for Electoral Victory
The prime minister said Hungary is in legal and political conflict with Brussels over migration, and is being fined one million euros per day. However, he argued, admitting migrants would cost even more, and there's no way to undo such a decision:
Our famous fish soup cannot be turned back into fish – we must resist,
he added.
Returning to the energy price caps, he said Brussels wants our energy prices to rise in order to weaken Hungarian companies currently enjoying a competitive edge using cheap energy. He also stated that special profit taxes should not be withdrawn despite Brussels’s pressure, as that would prevent them from paying the bonus 13th-month pension.
The first major step on the road to election victory is Voks 2025,
the prime minister pointed out, noting that whether Ukraine joins the EU is a fateful question for Hungary, greatly impacting the next 15–20 years.
If we can prevent that, we can win the parliamentary elections, too,
Orban asserted.
Europe Has Changed
At the Q&A part of the public forum in Rackeve, a participant mentioned that they had still not received the Voks 2025 letter and ballot in the mail, prompting the PM to respond “I have a degree in law, however I'm not the best lawyer, but I can tell you: if someone takes a letter addressed to you from your mailbox, that’s a crime. This is not a game!”
In response to another question, Orban said that after 1945, Hungary was torn away from the West, where it always belonged. In 1990, Hungarians hoped to rejoin Western Europe, believing Europe was waiting to welcome them back. But according to the PM, this Europe has changed considerably:
Where are the Christian roots? Where is the respect for family? Where is the value of work?
he asked, criticizing EU migration policy.
He commented on the issue of the Pride Parade, saying people see things they are uncomfortable with. He added that this isn't the first time Europe is experiencing blows to Christian values, but things always eventually swing back into place.
We’ll see what happens in Rome on Wednesday,
he said cryptically.
Battles and Struggles
The Prime Minister again emphasized that Central Europeans would all suffer from Ukraine’s EU membership. He also pointed out that for some Western European countries and for the U.S., Ukraine is a good deal.
Since 2010, Hungary has doubled its state assets,
he said, citing increased gold reserves and the reacquisition of Liszt Ferenc International Airport as examples.
He also criticized certain domestic political forces that only provoke, incite, and stir up conflict:
Without battling and resistance, it won’t work. We must protect the country from instigators, agitation and incitement.
On EU funds, he said Hungary is entitled to €22 billion in the current seven-year EU budget, of which €13 billion has already arrived. He said that along with clever legal battles, the political fight must also be fought – waiting for a moment when unanimous decisions are needed, so they can use a veto.
In his view, anyone who serves Brussels’s interests would never think this way.
He added that if Hungary is not led by bold, national-minded people, the country will be wiped off the map and its interests will not be heard.
They will come,
Orban said, referring to the withheld EU funds.
He believes that more EU countries will soon demand change, and a patriotic-conservative alliance may form. He suggested that Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni could be one of its leaders, adding that they spoke on the phone today.
He said the EU leadership cannot bypass unanimity, though there is a possibility of suspending a country’s voting rights. Orban recalled that Hungary had a mutual defense pact with Poland in this regard, but due to a leftward political shift in Poland, he had to find new allies, which he has accomplished.
Cover photo: Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Rackeve (Source: Facebook)
