– “We will win the next election, too. That’s the plan,” Prime Minister Viktor Orban declared in a video interview with Krónika Online.
PM Orban emphasized that he would enter the campaign with healthy and historically-grounded confidence. Now in his twentieth year as prime minister, he said he has won five elections, the last four in a row. The government continues to roll out policies that create opportunities for Hungarians — more and more of them.
Why should we lack confidence? The opposition’s role is to keep breathing down your neck — that’s their job. But what matters is that they do it from behind. So long as that’s the case, there’s no problem,
– he emphasized. He added that the opposition is the same as ever, though the outfit changes. There is always one major national party — currently Fidesz — fighting for the country's independence and historical truth. And there is always a foreign-funded and externally backed, cosmopolitan, and suspect international formation, led by local proxies in the service of foreign interests, that uses outside money and influence to try to seize power.
Goodwill and Wilingness to Cooperate with Romania
Viktor Orban, who traveled to Marosvasarhely to attend the funeral of Elod Kincses, a Transylvanian Hungarian lawyer, publicist, and civil rights activist, also spoke in the interview about his desire to engage in extended talks with Romania’s new president as soon as possible. “There are issues we share within the European Union, and the interests of Romanians and Hungarians often overlap,” he noted. He highlighted that
conditions are favorable for developing bilateral ties because Hungary's EU presidency, which concluded last December, marked a historic breakthrough for Romania — something the Romanian side has also acknowledged.
Officials in Bucharest are well aware of how complex the maneuvering was in European politics to bring Romania into the Schengen Area.
– “They can see that we approach this with goodwill and a willingness to cooperate. So we’re not starting from a bad place — let’s see how things unfold. In any case, I don’t envy this government; they’ve inherited a tough situation, especially in economic terms. They’ll need every bit of their expertise to manage the current economic climate so that Romanian citizens come through it with as little damage as possible. I wish them success,” Mr. Orban said.
Neither Far-Right, Nor Far-Left
Regarding Romania's presidential election in May, Kronika also inquired about PM Orban's earlier comments on George Simion, the presidential candidate of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), which drew sharp reactions from ethnic Hungarians in Transylvania. Both the Transylvanian Hungarian community and its representatives have firmly rejected cooperation with the far right.
– That’s exactly right,
Romanian Hungarians should not cooperate with the far right — or with the far left, for that matter.
In other words, they should avoid working with those who are enemies of Hungarians. And who those enemies are, the people here in Transylvania know better than anyone else in the world,” Mr. Orban stated.
The prime minister commended Transylvanian Hungarians for their actions during the election: “They did an outstanding job protecting themselves from a far-right candidate,” he said. Mr. Orban said he was surprised by the storm his comments caused, which, he noted, were consistent with his long-standing principles.
– “I said we won’t interfere in Romania's current presidential race. But from Tihany — this symbolic location — the message we're sending is this: we assure the Romanian people and their future president, whoever that may be, that we stand on the ground of cooperation and unity,” PM Orban said, recalling his earlier remarks.
Hungary Will Not Support Any Retaliation
“This is how it'll be tomorrow, the day after, and even five years from now, because it is essential that Hungary does not support any isolation or political retaliation against Romania or its leaders — regardless of who the Romanian president is,” the prime minister added.
– “So no one should expect me to support retaliatory actions against any democratically elected Romanian leader or government within the European Union—where, by the way, retaliation is common. They’re trying to punish us, too. But we Hungarians will stand with the Romanians if Brussels tries to retaliate against them for defending their sovereignty or their Christian values. That’s our message now — and this is what it'll stay even five years from now,” Mr. Orban said.
We Cannot Forget About Hungarians Living Abroad
In response to Kronika’s point that not everyone is pleased with Hungary’s considerable support for ethnic Hungarians abroad over the past fifteen years, Mr. Orban responded: “If someone doesn’t understand why we support the Hungarian communities, schools, and institutions in Transylvania, then I can’t help them.”
– Itt beszorult helyzetben vannak a magyarok, száz év óta küszködnek a túlélésért, és aki nem érti, hogy mi történik, nem érinti meg a szívét, nem megy be a haja alá, azon nem tudok segíteni.
“Hungarians here are in a difficult position — they’ve been struggling to survive for a hundred years. If you don’t understand what’s going on, if it doesn’t touch your heart, doesn’t get under your skin, then I can’t help you.
To someone whose heart isn’t Hungarian, I can’t explain what it means to be Hungarian,
and if you are Hungarian, my friend, back home in ‘Little Hungary, "then you cannot forget about the other Hungarians—those who are also Hungarian and who count on you and need your help,” PM Orban said.
Hungarian Nation Has No Borders
Viktor Orban made it clear: Hungary is not giving handouts.
– “We are a national government. History may draw borders here or there, but the Hungarian nation exists —
and you can’t divide it with borders. A country has borders — a nation does not.”
“To me, we are one nation. You are a part of that nation, just as I am—a man from Transdanubia. I am a part of the nation, and so are you. It’s all the same to me. That’s why we’re not doing anyone a favor or just handing out support. We must think about the survival and strengthening of this nation and all its parts. And we must help one another in that,” PM Orban said.
