National Side Cannot Be Blackmailed As Shown by Viktor Orban’s Combative Yet Optimistic Campaign Launch

The stakes are not only whether the Fidesz–KDNP party alliance can continue governing, but also whether Hungary’s sovereignty can be protected, said the senior analyst from the Center for Fundamental Rights evaluating the Prime Minister’s speech delivered in Bekescsaba. Tamas Pindroch pointed out that Viktor Orban also made clear that the national side cannot be blackmailed: whoever bites us will break their teeth.

Amid ongoing attacks against Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivered an optimistic yet combative speech  at the anti-war rally of the Digital Civic Circles held in Bekescsaba at the start of the official campaign, Tamas Pindroch told Magyar Nemzet in his assessment of the Prime Minister's address. The lead analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights said the Prime Minister placed strong emphasis on the importance of staying out of the war, noting that the April 12 vote can therefore be regarded as a matter of national destiny. Viktor Orban pointed out that the stakes are not only whether Fidesz and the Christian Democrats (KDNP) can continue governing, but also whether Hungary’s sovereignty can be protected.

Viktor Orban made it clear that the national side cannot be blackmailed (Photo: Balazs Ladoczki)

 

Hungary Cannot Be Blackmailed

A key topic of the rally was that Ukraine, by shutting down the Druzhba oil pipeline, seeks to create chaos, social tension, and economic uncertainty in Hungary.

"Their goal is to bring to power a puppet government supported by Ukraine and Brussels, namely the Tisza Party. The outbreak of an energy crisis was agreed upon by these three actors in Munich at the end of last week. The Prime Minister referred to this as the Munich pact. This would jeopardize Hungary’s energy supply," the analyst said. He emphasized that it was no coincidence the Prime Minister stressed that without sufficient oil reserves, gasoline prices would immediately rise to 1,000 forints per liter at the pumps, and Hungarian families would have to pay three times the current price for utilities.

The Prime Minister also highlighted that

when the Tisza Party speaks about regime change, what it means is that, in contrast to the current patriotic government, it would support Ukraine’s accession to the European Union and accept the abolition of the veto right within the EU, 

which is a safeguard of Hungary’s independence within the community.

"Global big capital embedded within the Tisza Party would prevent multinational corporations from contributing 2,000 billion forints to public revenues this year, and their aim is also to return to these corporations the 15,000 billion forints in special taxes imposed over the past sixteen years. At the same time, Viktor Orban sent a firm message to the participants of the Munich pact when he declared that Hungary and the national side cannot be blackmailed." Quoting the Prime Minister, the expert added:

Anyone who believes that the country can be forced to its knees through external pressure is gravely mistaken and does not know the Hungarians. Whoever bites us will get their teeth knocked out.

 Viktor Orban delivered a combative yet optimistic speech at the anti-war rally in Bekescsaba (Photo: Balazs Ladoczki)

Based on a coordinated position with Slovakia, Hungary has halted diesel exports to Ukraine as a countermeasure and, by exercising its veto, is blocking Brussels’ €90 billion war loan. Until cheap Russian oil arrives in Hungary through the Druzhba pipeline, the loan will remain blocked. The possibility of suspending electricity exports to Ukraine is also under consideration, the analyst recalled.

Cover photo: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Photo: Balazs Ladoczki)