Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has said that Hungarians will have a choice in the 2026 election – to vote for a party well-prepared to go their own way or one that would plunge the country into chaos and poverty by bringing Hungary closer to the European Union, Reuters reports.
Orbán, a Eurosceptic nationalist who has been in power since 2010, faces a challenging election next year. The country’s economy is stagnating and inflation still prevents him from lowering interest rates.
Orbán, who has previously said the EU could collapse in the next decade, is trying to undermine his rival, Péter Magyar, by cutting taxes for families, offering food stamps to pensioners and offering preferential loans to first-time homebuyers.
Orbán told his party supporters that Hungary had only two options: “One choice is that we join the politics of Brussels. This, in my view, would be catastrophic, with consequences pushing us into chaos and poverty.”
The Hungarian prime minister regularly clashes with the EU over migrant rights,
LGBT rights, the independence of the judiciary and higher education system, as well as support for Ukraine.
Magyar, whose party is winning more support than Orbán’s Fidesz in recent polls, said on September 7 that Hungary was caught in several crises at once. He promised to revive the Hungarian economy by unlocking billions of euros in EU funds frozen after Orbán’s reforms of the justice system. Magyar also promised to crack down on corruption, impose higher taxes on the wealthy and cut taxes on lower-income people. “Our country will again be an active, credible member of the European Union and NATO. Not a stick between the spokes but a valued and constructive ally,” Magyar added.
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