Orbán ramps up anti-EU campaign in Hungary ahead of April election

Orbán warns supporters Brussels, not Moscow, is Hungary’s main threat as April 12 vote nears

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told supporters on Saturday that the European Union, not Russia, poses Hungary’s real threat ahead of an April 12 national election, as he escalates a nationalist campaign aimed at discrediting the EU and the country’s Western partners.

With only eight weeks until the vote, Orbán and his Fidesz party face what the Associated Press described as their most serious challenge since the populist leader retook power in 2010. The campaign comes as most independent polls show Fidesz trailing the center-right Tisza party, led by Péter Magyar, according to the report.

In his speech, Orbán compared the EU to the repressive Soviet regime that ruled Hungary for more than four decades in the 20th century, and he dismissed the belief among many European leaders that Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens the continent’s security. Orbán also said, “We must get used to the idea that those who love freedom should not fear the East, but Brussels,” referring to the EU’s de-facto capital in Belgium.

Orbán added, “Fear-mongering about Putin is primitive and unserious. Brussels, however, is a palpable reality and a source of imminent danger,” and he said, “This is the bitter truth, and we will not tolerate it.” He framed his message around a warning that the political and policy establishment tied to the EU threatens Hungary’s sovereignty rather than the war-driven security risks associated with Russia.

The campaign also builds on Orbán’s established approach since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly four years ago. The Associated Press reported that Orbán has been a firm opponent of military and financial aid for Kyiv, while maintaining close relations with Moscow and adopting a confrontational stance toward Hungary’s EU and NATO partners that he portrays as warmongers.

The report said Orbán has previously challenged basic assumptions about responsibility for the war. In December, he said it was “unclear who attacked whom” when tens of thousands of Russian forces poured across Ukraine’s borders in February 2022.

Orbán’s anti-EU message comes against a backdrop of long-running conflict between the Hungarian government and Brussels. The Associated Press reported that the EU has frozen billions of euros in funding to Budapest over concerns that Orbán has dismantled democratic institutions, eroded judicial independence and overseen widespread official corruption. In return, Orbán has increasingly acted as a spoiler in EU decision-making, routinely threatening to veto key policies, including providing financial support for Ukraine.

As the election approaches, the Associated Press reported that Orbán has increasingly portrayed the Tisza party as a puppet created by the EU to overthrow his government and serve foreign interests. Magyar and Tisza have denied those accusations. In contrast, Magyar has pledged to repair Hungary’s strained relations with Western allies, revive an economy described as stagnant in the report, and return the country to a more democratic track.

Orbán also turned his attention to domestic and international opposition to his rule. The Associated Press reported that on Saturday he accused multinational corporations—including banks and energy companies—of profiting from the war in Ukraine and conspiring with his political opposition to defeat him in the election.

“It is crystal clear that in Hungary the oil business, the banking world and the Brussels elite are preparing to form a government,” Orbán said. “They need someone in Hungary who will never say no to Brussels’ demands.” He also warned that if his party wins a fifth straight majority, he would push ahead with what he argued was ridding Hungary of entities that infringe on the country’s sovereignty.

Orbán credited Donald Trump, who has endorsed him ahead of the election, with creating an environment where influence associated with liberal international networks can be expelled. The Associated Press reported that Orbán said the new U.S. president had “rebelled against the global business, media and political network of liberals, thus improving our chances,” and he said, “We, too, can go a long way and expel foreign influence from Hungary, along with its agents, that limit our sovereignty.”

In the closing portion of his speech, Orbán said the “Brussels repressive machine is still operating in Hungary” and told supporters, “We’ll clean it up after April.”