viktor orban
March 10, 2010, 09:46 CET
Ruling Socialists cancel policy debates
The ruling Socialists have decided to cancel the policy debates planned between senior ministry officials and experts of the main opposition Fidesz party, the party spokeswoman told MTI on Wednesday. At the first of the three debates the Socialists initiated... [read complete entry]
March 09, 2010, 02:17 CET
Jobbik derails Fidesz's "anti-campaign" election train
Jobbik has derailed Fidesz’s electoral strategy of coasting toward victory this April while barely lifting a finger. Although so far the salvos from Fidesz have come from the more peripheral figures, it is increasingly apparent that in this election campaign,... [read complete entry]
March 08, 2010, 10:32 CET
Fidesz rejects Socialist invitation to broadcast debate
Conservative party Fidesz on Sunday rejected a call by the Socialist party's prime-minister candidate to take part in a broadcast debate on their respective campaign programmes. Attila Mesterhazy had asked Viktor Orban, the Fidesz leader, and the party's top policymakers... [read complete entry]
March 05, 2010, 10:14 CET
Ruling Socialists initiate debate with opposition next week
Ministers of the ruling Socialists invite experts of the main opposition Fidesz party for three policy debates next week, the Socialist prime minister candidate confirmed MTI's information on Thursday. The first debate on next Tuesday would be held on social... [read complete entry]
March 03, 2010, 09:33 CET
Parties to hold campaign rallies in Budapest on March 15 national holiday
All major parties in Hungary will hold a campaign rally on the afternoon of the national holiday of March 15 in the centre of Budapest, the organisers told MTI on Tuesday. March 15 marks the commemoration of Hungary's 1848 anti-Habsburg... [read complete entry]
March 02, 2010, 10:06 CET
Analysts expect intensifying campaign
Political analysts expect the campaign for the April general elections to intensify in the coming weeks and differ from the previous ones. Presenting a volume on European campaign strategies on Monday evening, Agoston Samuel Mraz of Nezopont Institute and Attila... [read complete entry]
March 01, 2010, 10:37 CET
Socialist PM candidate starts rally around Hungary
Prime minister candidate of the ruling Socialist Party Attila Mesterhazy started a tour of the country in Polgar (E) on Saturday. The candidate met supporters in the local community centre and said that the next elections would determine Hungary's dominant... [read complete entry]
February 25, 2010, 11:50 CET
Countries step up cooperation, sign joint declaration at Budapest energy summit
Participants of an energy summit held in Budapest on Wednesday signed a joint declaration on stepping up cooperation and making energy security a priority. Hungary's Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai said the signing of a joint declaration was a milestone in... [read complete entry]
February 25, 2010, 10:30 CET
Fidesz still forecast to win two-thirds majority at elections
Viktor Orban's conservative Fidesz party could secure a two-thirds majority - needed to change the constitution -- if an election were held now, according to a Nezopont poll commissioned by political weekly Heti Valasz. In the third week of February,... [read complete entry]
February 24, 2010, 09:38 CET
Former central bank president ready to accept post in Fidesz gov't
Former central bank president Zsigmond Jarai, finance minister of Viktor Orban's government, said on Tuesday that he would be prepared to take a post in a Fidesz-led government. "Viktor Orban has made it clear that I should work and I... [read complete entry]
February 23, 2010, 10:13 CET
President Sólyom, opposition's Orbán lead poll
President Laszlo Solyom was given 47 points out of a maximum of 100 by respondents in a popularity survey by pollster Szonda Ipsos published in Tuesday's Nepszabadsag daily. Viktor Orban, head of the main opposition Fidesz, garnered 44 points -... [read complete entry]
February 23, 2010, 10:10 CET
Forsense projects three-party parliament after elections
Hungarians' inclination to go to the polls at the parliamentary elections this spring is on the increase and three parties will certainly get into parliament, pollster Forsense told MTI on Monday. The number of voters who have a party preference... [read complete entry]
February 23, 2010, 10:08 CET
PM urges Socialists, Fidesz to jointly combat extremism
Hungary's Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai on Monday urged cooperation against extremism between the ruling Socialists and main opposition Fidesz Addressing parliament's last pre-election session, Bajnai said Fidesz leader Viktor Orban and the Socialist PM-candidate Attila Mesterhazy had one thing in... [read complete entry]
February 19, 2010, 10:15 CET
Main opposition retains significant lead in 1st month of election campaign
The main opposition Fidesz party has retained its significant lead over its political rivals in February, the first month of the campaign for the general elections in April, according to a poll Szazadveg released to MTI on Thursday. Support for... [read complete entry]
February 18, 2010, 10:11 CET
Socialist PM-candidate challenges Orbán for a public debate
Attila Mesterhazy, the Socialist party's prime-minister candidate, has challenged Fidesz leader Viktor Orban to a public debate. In a video-message on Wednesday, Mesterhazy proposed health, education, economic policy and national defence as topics for the bout, which he said should... [read complete entry]
February 18, 2010, 10:00 CET
Former health minister slams Orbán's pálinka policy
Former health minister Mihály Kökény yesterday denounced a proposal to legalise the home brewing of pálinka made by Fidesz leader Viktor Orbán last week. Orbán announced while campaigning in the countryside last week that Fidesz would allow the distilling of... [read complete entry]
February 17, 2010, 10:30 CET
Orbán envisions single governing force for next 15-20 years
Viktor Orban, tipped to head the next government after the April elections, said Hungary had a good chance of ridding itself of a divisive political duopoly over the next 15-20 years. This period will be dominated by "one central political... [read complete entry]
February 17, 2010, 10:19 CET
Facebook group now comparing apples with Orbán
Because nothing brings Hungarians together like being against something, Viktor Orbán's Facebook presence has spawned a group asking the simple question "Can a nice apple have more fans than Viktor Orbán?" So far, Orbán fans outnumber apple fans by a... [read complete entry]
February 16, 2010, 12:28 CET
Orbán's "zipped lips" policy could have been more useful the last time
Reading the news post about how Viktor Orbán has asked his party members to keep their mouths shut and avoid making their opinions public, I couldn't help but think of former Fidesz vice-prime ministerial candidate István Mikola's infamous gaffe during... [read complete entry]
February 16, 2010, 10:02 CET
Orbán tells MPs to keep private thoughts to selves
Fidesz candidates must not utter their private opinions during the campaign, party leader Viktor Orbán said Monday at a closed meeting with party MPs. He also spoke about the future nationalist government and the importance of shared national matters. Fidesz... [read complete entry]
February 15, 2010, 10:21 CET
Fidesz leaders not to compete individually at elections
Most of Fidesz's senior politicians will not run as individual candidates for Parliament, national council president László Kövér said Sunday. Kövér told state news agency MTI that there is a great chance that Fidesz will win in all 176 individual... [read complete entry]
February 11, 2010, 12:14 CET
Népszabadság crops Orbán photo to make him appear as a short tyrant
The Mandiner blog noticed the curious cropping used for the image of Viktor Orbán at the top of Socialist-friendly Népszabadság's website, seen here above. What remains uncertain about the cropping is if it was done to make Orbán look... [read complete entry]
February 09, 2010, 09:18 CET
Vote for Jobbik wasted, Orbán says in TV interview
Viktor Orban, who is tipped to head the next government after the April general election, said a vote for Jobbik, a radical nationalist force which polls show is gathering strength, would be wasted. "What can a party which has at... [read complete entry]
February 08, 2010, 10:18 CET
Parties slam Orbán's speech for ambiguousness
"A lot of talk and hardly any specifics," Socialist Party prime ministerial candidate Attila Mesterházy said in reaction to Orbán's speech on Friday afternoon. Mesterházy said Orbán urged blindfolded people to follow him into the unknown, adding that "I have... [read complete entry]
February 08, 2010, 10:13 CET
Survey finds Orbán's speech given C+ by public
The state-of-the-nation speech by main opposition Fidesz leader Viktor Orban got a C+ in a Median survey published in Monday's Nepszabadsag. Canvassed on the day after the Friday speech, about 80 percent of respondents were aware of Orban's address and... [read complete entry]
February 08, 2010, 10:10 CET
Orbán's state of the nation speech "risk-free," say analysts
Viktor Orban, head of the main opposition Fidesz party, made his state of the nation speech without statements involving any political risk and addressing voters at the centre, analysts told MTI on Friday. Agoston Samuel Mraz of the Nezopont Institute... [read complete entry]
February 08, 2010, 09:46 CET
Orbán calls for strong gov't in state of the nation speech
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party is ready to form a "strong, responsible and proactive government" Fidesz leader Viktor Orban said in his traditional state of the nation address at Budapest's Millenaris Park on Friday. He added, however, that one had... [read complete entry]
February 05, 2010, 12:06 CET
US Ambassador compares Orbán to former President Clinton
US ambassador Eleni Tsakopoulos Kounalakis says Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán reminds her of former US President Bill Clinton in an interview in the latest HVG. Clinton was also full of passion for people and took over governing with a high... [read complete entry]
February 04, 2010, 10:03 CET
Mesterházy sends online message to Fidesz
Socialist Party prime ministerial candidate Attila Mesterházy has asked Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán to be sincere when he delivers his "state of the nation" address on Friday. Mesterházy said in a message posted on the website YouTube that Orbán should... [read complete entry]
February 04, 2010, 10:00 CET
Orbán promises end to era of volatile governing
The current era of hectic, unpredictable and unreliable government decision-making is over, and one of partnership will arrive in Hungary, Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán told MTI from Frankfurt after meeting leaders of the German Machine and Building Industry Federation on... [read complete entry]
February 04, 2010, 09:57 CET
Bokros to deliver "state of the nation" speech on Sunday
The Prime Minister nominee of the conservative opposition Democratic Forum (MDF) party will deliver his "state of the nation" speech and present the party's election programme on Sunday, deputy party leader Karoly Herenyi said on Wednesday. The speech by Lajos... [read complete entry]
February 03, 2010, 09:37 CET
All MPs hand in assets statements on time
All of Hungary's MPs handed in their assets statement by the 8 p.m. deadline on Monday. Socialist Party chairwoman Ildikó Lendvai has a 104m² flat in downtown Budapest and savings of $1,600. She earns a monthly salary of nearly Ft... [read complete entry]
February 01, 2010, 10:03 CET
MDF approves program, cooperation with liberals
The national delegates of the small conservative Democratic Forum approved the party's election programme and cooperation with the liberal Free Democrats in Budapest, the chairman of the party's national board told a news conference on Saturday. The national board's decision... [read complete entry]
January 29, 2010, 09:07 CET
Pretty soon, Viktor Orbán will be sending you a friend request...
Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán recently opened a Facebook page as part of his campaign, origo.hu revealed. While the conservative politician has started to establish his presence on the Internet (as opposed to his more tech-savvy foil Ferenc Gyurcsány, who... [read complete entry]
January 28, 2010, 09:49 CET
Fidesz seen to win two-thirds majority in next parliament
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz and its ally Christian Democrats could win two-thirds of the seats plus nine more in the next parliament, according to an optimal scenario developed in a poll by Nezopont Intezet sent to MTI on Wednesday. Nezopont... [read complete entry]
January 27, 2010, 09:34 CET
Lagest opposition party Fidesz retains huge lead in polls
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz has maintained its huge lead, with 33 percent of all respondents of a recent poll backing the conservative party as against 16 percent for the governing Socialists. Pollster Szazadveg told MTI on Tuesday that Fidesz had... [read complete entry]
January 26, 2010, 03:08 CET
Prime Minister to sue documentary maker and daily for libel
Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai is turning to the courts over an interview conducted with László Pesty in daily Helyi Téma, which was subsequently reproduced in a documentary by Pesty, government portal magyarorszag.hu announced. The name of Pesty's documentary is "Time... [read complete entry]
January 25, 2010, 09:40 CET
Opposition leader Orbán heads popularity list
None of Hungary's politicians are rated positively by voters in the latest Szonda Ipsos popularity survey published in Monday's Nepszabadsag daily but Viktor Orban, the leader of conservative Fidesz, is the least negatively rated. Most of Orban's 45 points out... [read complete entry]
January 20, 2010, 08:48 CET
Opposition leader holds talks with new US ambassador
Viktor Orban, leader of the opposition, and Eleni Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis, the new US ambassador to Hungary, held talks on Tuesday, head of Orban's office Peter Szijjarto told MTI. Orban, who leads of conservative party Fidesz, and Tsakopoulos-Kounalakis reviewed relations between the... [read complete entry]
January 12, 2010, 04:07 CET
Is Banjai unwittingly setting up Fidesz for a euro-fuelled re-election in 2014?
On Sunday Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai stressed that Hungary could beat the remaining central European countries already not in the eurozone into the club, provided Fidesz doesn't blow it. My guess is that Bajnai was not really playing politics in... [read complete entry]
January 11, 2010, 10:38 CET
Orbán advisors urge Fidesz head to eschew TV debates, emulate Obama
Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán's advisors have warned him against taking part in a televised debate between the prime ministerial candidates, an expert close to the Fidesz leadership told Népszabadság on Friday. In the official Fidesz drive, which will kick off... [read complete entry]
January 06, 2010, 08:01 CET
Orbán says government should declare sporting a "strategic" area
Opposition Fidesz party leader Viktor Orban said on Tuesday that Hungary's next government should declare sports to be a strategic area. Hungary should continue to see it as a national issue that its Olympic team finishes among the top ten... [read complete entry]
January 04, 2010, 09:16 CET
Socialist candidate for MP calls for end to political bickering
Hungary's politicians should start working together and ditch their pastime of feuding, the ruling Socialist party's prime-minister candidate told commercial television channel RTL Klub on Friday. "We have to stop political feuding and discover the national basics," said Attila Mesterhazy.... [read complete entry]
December 30, 2009, 11:45 CET
UPDATE - Opposition leader plans a brisk walk, then a hearty but low-cholesterol lunch, probably just soup and a salad (add gov't response)
Just in case you're wondering why we've scaled back our political coverage over the holidays, see the above headline from MTI's English-language feed. Though to be fair, if these idiots did actually shut up for two whole weeks they'd... [read complete entry]
December 23, 2009, 09:53 CET
Politicians' prestige suffers in 2009, but pecking order remains stable
The prestige of Hungarian politicians generally declined in 2009 but their ranking remained by and large unchanged over the past year, national daily Nepszabadsag said on Wednesday, citing a recent Szonda Ipsos poll. Hungary's relatively most popular politician is President... [read complete entry]
December 23, 2009, 09:45 CET
Median poll shows Fidesz's lead over Socialists narrowing
The main opposition Fidesz's lead over the rival ruling Socialists has narrowed to 40:16 percent by December, a poll by Median released on Tuesday showed. Support for Fidesz fell from 47 percent in July to 43 percent in November and... [read complete entry]
December 22, 2009, 10:00 CET
Fidesz leader reportedly plans ministry mergers after election
Head of the main opposition Fidesz party Viktor Orban plans to merge the ministries of health, social affairs, culture and education if Fidesz wins next year's parliamentary elections, daily Nepszabadsag said on Monday quoting sources close to the party. Orban... [read complete entry]
December 17, 2009, 10:04 CET
Orbán gives speech in Serbia on "re-uniting" of larger Hungarian nation
Viktor Orban, leader of Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party, talked about the importance of efforts to re-unite the Hungarian nation at a rally held in Senta, a city in the north Serbian Vojvodina province, on Wednesday. Hungarians living in Hungary... [read complete entry]
December 17, 2009, 10:00 CET
Poll finds Socialist PM candidate getting backing of just 7% of electorate
The Socialist party's candidate for prime minister got the nod from 7 percent of the electorate in a survey by the Nezopont Institute, compared to 36 percent for opposition Fidesz's Viktor Orban, the conservative think-tank said on Wednesday, citing its... [read complete entry]
December 17, 2009, 09:43 CET
Jobbik head Vona says Fidesz's Orbán cuts "tragic figure"
"Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán knows what he should do but has no room for manoeuvre so there is nothing left for him to do except to utter platitudes," Jobbik chairman Gábor Vona told MTV Wednesday morning. "Jobbik has no need... [read complete entry]
December 15, 2009, 09:55 CET
Fidesz publishes final list of candidates for next general election
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party published a finalised list of its candidates for the next parliament on Monday. The list, presented after a meeting of the party's national board, contains 176 candidates, half of whom are already MPs in the... [read complete entry]
December 14, 2009, 10:48 CET
Russian Ambassador says relations with Hungary perhaps best in CEE
Last month's meeting between Viktor Orban, leader of Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party, and Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was a "constructive and interesting" discussion, Russian Ambassador to Hungary Aleksandr Tolkats said in an interview published in the online issue... [read complete entry]
December 14, 2009, 10:24 CET
Mesterházy officially chosen as Socialists' candidate for PM
The Socialist Party convention elected caucus leader Attila Mesterházy as the party's prime ministerial candidate with a 90% majority, and the party national list with a 70% majority on Saturday. "The Socialist Party is preparing for a frank, intense and... [read complete entry]
December 14, 2009, 10:17 CET
Bokros voted MDF nominee for PM
The Democratic Forum national council elected Horn-era finance minister Lajos Bokros as its candidate for prime minister with an over 90% majority on Saturday, the party announced. The Forum explained in a statement that 61 delegates had voted in favour... [read complete entry]
December 11, 2009, 09:38 CET
Orbán remains a vice president of European People's Party
Main opposition Fidesz party leader Viktor Orban has been re-elected as one of the vice-presidents of the European People's Party (EPP), Peter Szijjarto, head of Orban's office, told MTI on Thursday. As vice-president, Orban will participate in the process of... [read complete entry]
December 10, 2009, 09:38 CET
Orbán says Hungarian society dominated by "organized lies"
Politics cannot be built on a foundation composed of lies, main opposition Fidesz party leader Viktor Orban said in Bonn on Wednesday, addressing a roundtable focussing on the experience of the year 1989 during a European People's Party congress. Orban... [read complete entry]
December 07, 2009, 10:28 CET
Orbán says ready to form new gov't quickly, says current budget a "fraud"
Viktor Orban, leader of the main opposition Fidesz party, wants to form the next government in a fast and efficient manner next spring, he told MTI on Friday. Orban, whose party appears in polls as the winner of next year's... [read complete entry]
December 03, 2009, 11:15 CET
Fidesz establishes ties with Chinese Communists as Orbán tours Beijing
Fidesz established official links with the Chinese Communist Party yesterday, China's state news agency reported after party chairman Viktor Orbán met Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping in Beijing. "In order to create jobs we have to find markets for our... [read complete entry]
November 27, 2009, 10:16 CET
Current, former finance ministers address conference on Hungary's global role
Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Balazs and one of his predecessors Janos Martonyi spoke about the need to intensify European integration at a conference in Budapest on Thursday. After four and a half centuries, Hungary is now in a position to... [read complete entry]
November 26, 2009, 10:06 CET
Survey finds majority supporting Orbán as PM
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party leader Viktor Orban was seen as most voters' choice for prime minister, well ahead of the Socialist party's likely candidate Attila Mesterhazy, by a poll from research firm Nezopont Institute revealed on Wednesday. The poll,... [read complete entry]
November 24, 2009, 09:29 CET
Orbán says Fidesz not expecting "supermajority" in next election
Main opposition Fidesz leader Viktor Orban expects his party to win a majority in the next parliamentary elections scheduled for next spring but called a two-thirds majority unrealistic, speaking to reporters on Monday. Asked if the landslide victory of Fidesz-Christian... [read complete entry]
November 24, 2009, 08:15 CET
Politicians' popularity continues to drop in November
Hungary's president and the head of the main opposition remained the most popular politicians in a November poll, which, however, gave low ratings overall to all players, daily Nepszabadsag said on Monday, quoting a Szonda Ipsos poll. President Laszlo Solyom... [read complete entry]
November 23, 2009, 02:37 CET
Orbán apparently not a threat to Romanian national security
While the Slovaks see Viktor Orbán as their personal bogeyman, attitudes to the east in Romania are somewhat more relaxed, as proved by this campaign poster for center-right Romanian President Traian Băsescu, fn.hu reports. Although obviously aimed at the large... [read complete entry]
November 23, 2009, 08:58 CET
Orbán meets Putin at congress of Russia's ruling party in St. Petersburg
Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán told HírTV that he is ready to place Hungarian-Russian relations on new foundations after he met Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin at the convention of the United Russia Party in St. Petersburg on Saturday. Both politicians... [read complete entry]
November 17, 2009, 12:17 CET
Orbán's energy independence pledge just a bunch of hot air
Over on realdeal.hu you can read about Fidesz big Viktor Orbán's latest grand pledge: To make Hungary energy independent within 20 years. Unfortunately, since Hungary doesn't produce much gas or oil of its own, freeing the country from dependence on... [read complete entry]
November 16, 2009, 08:42 CET
Orbán says west too quick to embrace former communist leaders
Viktor Orban, head of Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party, thanked Germany for "helping Central Europe get rid of communism and integrate in the western part of Europe" in Berlin on Friday. Addressing a conference organised by the European People's Party... [read complete entry]
November 11, 2009, 09:32 CET
Orbán promises big tax cuts, three-year budget if Fidesz returned to power
Viktor Orban, leader of conservative opposition Fidesz, promised big tax cuts and a three-year budget in a television interview late on Tuesday. Orban told commercial ATV that he would not now pin a precise figure to the tax cut in... [read complete entry]
November 09, 2009, 09:08 CET
Orbán says he does not support overturning constitutional system
Victor Orban, the head of conservative opposition party Fidesz, said at an event in Kecskemet on Sunday that he neither planned nor supported a complete turnaround of Hungary's constitutional system. "I support a smaller parliament, I support reducing the size... [read complete entry]
November 04, 2009, 08:31 CET
Tölgyessy: Gyurcsány's speech reveals he is not a democrat
Political analyst and constitutional lawyer Péter Tölgyessy was not so exuberant about forner Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány's speech last week at a Socialist Party function. Tölgyessy, who once upon a time was also the chairman of the Free Democrats back... [read complete entry]
October 30, 2009, 11:15 CET
Orbán cautions EU against giving way to Czech "blackmail" on Lisbon treaty
Viktor Orban, head of Hungary's main opposition Fidesz, cautioned the European Union against giving way to what he called "the blackmailing by the Czech president" and called on the Hungarian government not to accept any concession as a result on... [read complete entry]
October 26, 2009, 10:23 CET
New poll finds Orbán most popular politician in Hungary
Hungarians continued to rate their politicians negatively in October, though the least unpopular were main opposition leader Viktor Orban tying with the president, Laszlo Solyom, according to a poll by Szonda Ipsos carried in Monday's Nespszabadsag daily. Tibor Navracsics, the... [read complete entry]
October 21, 2009, 09:40 CET
Poll shows Fidesz gaining support by five percentage points in October
Main conservative opposition party Fidesz would get three times as much support if an election were held this Sunday than the minority ruling Socialists, according to a poll by Szazadveg-Forsense published on Tuesday. Fidesz boosted its support in October by... [read complete entry]
October 14, 2009, 09:56 CET
Orbán distances party from MP's bigoted statements
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz leader on Wednesday called anti-Semitic remarks by Fidesz MP Oszkar Molnar "awkward". Orban told commercial television TV2 in an interview that every MP was expected to "carefully consider his choice of words". Molnar, a mayor of... [read complete entry]
October 12, 2009, 09:15 CET
Orbán reiterates desire to shrink Parliament to less than 200 MPs
Viktor Orban, head of the main opposition Fidesz party, insists that Hungary's 386-strong Parliament should be reduced below 200, according to an interview on commercial television channel TV2 on Sunday. Orban said that his party would also halve the number... [read complete entry]
October 05, 2009, 10:52 CET
Orbán says accountability more important than country's finances
"I consider holding accountable those responsible for Hungary's present position as more important than the country's finances," Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán told MTV talk show "Ma reggel" (This Morning) on Friday. Antall-era Justice Minister István Balsai will oversee strategic planning... [read complete entry]
September 30, 2009, 09:37 CET
Socialists make inroads into Fidesz lead in new poll; Bajnai surges
The politicians of Hungary's embattled ruling Socialist party have started to make inroads into the popularity rating of their conservative opposition Fidesz peers, and positive views of Prime Minister Gordon Bajnai have grown sharply, according to a survey by Szazadveg... [read complete entry]
September 28, 2009, 10:09 CET
Orbán says Fidesz would quickly move to make sweeping changes
“Fidesz will not require a 100-day grace period if it wins the next parliamentary elections; and will start work at once,” chairman Viktor Orbán told the tabloid Blikk on Saturday. He said “one million new jobs, 3,000 more police officers... [read complete entry]
September 25, 2009, 09:54 CET
Analyst says big Fidesz victory could spur big economic changes
The greater the Fidesz victory in next year’s elections, the greater the possibility that the party will attempt to make major economic policy changes, such as concluding a new pact with the IMF or changing the pension system, political scientist... [read complete entry]
September 25, 2009, 09:21 CET
Politicians' unpopularity slightly eases in new poll
The unpopularity of Hungary's politicians has eased slightly, suggesting that voters might be willing to give them one last chance at the start of the autumn cycle, daily Nepszabadsag said on Friday, quoting a Szonda Ipsos poll. But the order... [read complete entry]
September 21, 2009, 10:25 CET
Orbán says Fidesz to scrap 2010 budget if returned to power
Fidesz will revoke the 2010 budget if it gains power next year, party leader Viktor Orbán told HírTV Friday evening. Calling the budget the most dangerous of the past 20 years, Orbán said it will endanger hundreds of thousands of... [read complete entry]
September 17, 2009, 11:32 CET
Fidesz retains big lead in latest Median poll
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party retained its big lead over the minority governing Socialist party in September, pollster Median said on Wednesday. Among decided voters, Fidesz kept its backing at 67 percent while the Socialist Party's support level increased from... [read complete entry]
September 16, 2009, 09:59 CET
Is Hungary's next boss the boss of his own home?
Hungary's once and (almost 100% likely) future leader may not be as all-powerful as we previously thought. According to tabloid Blikk, Viktor Orbán recently found himself at a family event asking his wife and five children for "permission" to run... [read complete entry]
September 14, 2009, 09:42 CET
Orbán denounces draft 2010 budget; warns of "collapse" of state services
Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán on Friday urged the cabinet to withdraw the draft 2010 budget and not stand in the way of change as he addressed a Fidesz rally to launch the autumn political season. Speaking at Budapest's Millenáris Park,... [read complete entry]
September 11, 2009, 11:40 CET
EU measures against Slovakia no substitute for strong Hungary, Orbán says
A lengthy EU legal procedure is no substitute for an unequivocal and dynamic Hungarian answer based on national interests, Fidesz chairman Viktor Orbán declared yesterday in discussing the Hungarian-Slovak conflict. There is no doubt that the conflict has a European... [read complete entry]
September 02, 2009, 09:13 CET
Orbán pledges to take Hungary off "respirator of foreign loans and aid”
Fidesz spokesman Péter Szíjjártó quoted party chairman Viktor Orbán as having told President László Sólyom that the right wing can put Hungary back on its feet, after a change of government “instead of being kept on a respirator of foreign... [read complete entry]
September 01, 2009, 10:01 CET
Sólyom meets Orbán to discuss Slovakia, budget
President Laszlo Solyom on Tuesday met Viktor Orban, head of the main opposition Fidesz party, the President's Office told MTI in a statement. The talks focussed on Solyom's failed visit to Slovakia on August 21, as well as topical issues... [read complete entry]
August 28, 2009, 10:25 CET
Orbán lines up familiar faces for cabinet
Hungary's main opposition Fidesz party, way ahead in polling surveys and preparing for government after the spring 2010 elections, has a blueprint for its cabinet, Magyar Nemzet daily reported on Friday. Viktor Orban's cabinet is expected to include a lot... [read complete entry]
August 24, 2009, 11:21 CET
Hungarian politicians less popular than ever
Hungary's politicians scored an average 29 points out of 100 in a recent Szonda Ipsos popularity poll, the daily Nepszabadsag said on Monday. Only President Laszlo Solyom and Viktor Orban, leader of the main opposition Fidesz party, were close to... [read complete entry]
August 10, 2009, 10:22 CET
Fidesz rejects prospect of coalition government with Jobbik
The government of main opposition Fidesz leader Viktor Orban will not have any members from the radical nationalist Jobbik party, the party's press chief told MTI on Friday. Bertalan Havasi spoke in response to remarks by Jobbik leader Gabor Vona... [read complete entry]
July 28, 2009, 12:46 CET
Rival opposition party chairwoman defends Fidesz chief by slamming him
Democratic Forum Chairwoman Ibolya Dávid has been critical of the Socialist Party for what she calls their attempts to make a political issue out of Fidesz Chairman Viktor Orbán's vacation to swine flu hotspot Mexico, stop.hu reported. The Socialist Party... [read complete entry]
July 27, 2009, 10:32 CET
Orbán says right wing "without challenger" on political battlefield
The right wing is currently left without a challenger in the battlefield, which is a rare moment in party democracy, opposition Fidesz party leader Viktor Orban said in a piece published in Saturday's issue of daily Magyar Nemzet. Like Fidesz... [read complete entry]