Is PM Orbán's Shocking Election Strategy Enough to Defy History and Secure Victory?

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán kicked off his nationwide tour on March 16, 2023, in Kaposvár, just ahead of the April parliamentary election. This rally followed a significant **Peace March** in Budapest, commemorating the **1848 Revolution and War of Independence**, which drew a large crowd of Orbán's supporters. The event in Kaposvár mirrored this enthusiasm, with Kossuth Square filled to capacity as citizens gathered to hear the Prime Minister's address.

In his speech, Orbán framed the upcoming election as a pivotal choice between maintaining Hungary's national achievements and yielding to external pressures from **Brussels**, globalists, and Ukraine. “Hungary has a government that stands with the country with all its heart,” he asserted. He emphasized his administration's commitment to safeguarding national interests and keeping Hungary out of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

“Hungary has a government that stands with the country with all its heart.”

Orbán criticized the opposition for wanting to revert Hungary’s economic model, suggesting their goal is to return power to multinational corporations. “Their only goal is to turn Hungary back into a country where it is not Hungarians who benefit from their own work, but international big capital,” he stated, urging supporters to resist this shift “with calmness and determination.” He highlighted the economic progress his government claims to have made, asserting that **15 trillion HUF** has been redistributed from multinational companies to Hungarian families, small and medium-sized enterprises, pensioners, and mothers over the past 16 years. Orbán pledged to continue fostering a “work-based economy,” with ambitions to raise average salaries to **1 million HUF** by the end of the next electoral cycle.

Security and geopolitics were dominant themes in the Prime Minister's address. He described the current era as an “age of dangers,” pointing to conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. Notably, he declared that Hungary is the only country in Europe not preparing for war, attributing this to his government's commitment to peace since 2022. “We must continue to stand by Hungarian national interests, say no when necessary to Brussels and Ukraine, and remain on the side of peace,” he remarked.

Orbán specifically addressed pressures from Ukraine, including demands for Hungary to abandon Russian energy supplies and provide financial aid. “We ask the Ukrainians not to want to exploit us,” he stated, underscoring Hungary's need for affordable energy to maintain living standards.

Migration policy was another central topic in the rally. Orbán reiterated his government’s firm opposition to the **EU’s migration pact**, set to take effect in July 2023, which he claims would compel Hungary to accommodate migrants and establish refugee camps. “If the national government remains, not a single migrant will be allowed to enter Hungary,” he declared, firmly stating that Hungary would not implement the migration pact regardless of external pressures. “No one can tell us who we must live together with—only we can decide that,” he emphasized.

“If the national government remains, not a single migrant will be allowed to enter Hungary.”

Additionally, Orbán reaffirmed his government's commitment to family policies, announcing plans to expand tax exemptions for mothers. He stated, “By the end of the cycle, every mother with two children will be exempt from income tax, regardless of age.”

While acknowledging that his government is not without faults, Orbán insisted it remains capable of defending Hungary's interests, contrasting his administration with the leadership of the opposition. He positioned the election as a historic test, urging voters to renew the “peace alliance” established in 2022. “While Europe drifts towards war, we Hungarians will stand firm. Not a single step will we take in that direction—we will stay out of the war,” he concluded, rallying his supporters with a call to action: “The flag is with us. We can win this election—and if we are determined, we will win it.”