War and peace are the stakes of the election, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán told journalists on Sunday morning after casting his vote in Budapest XII. district, at the Zugliget Primary School.
The head of government, the president of Fidesz - who arrived at the polling station with his wife, Aniko Lévai, after 8:00 a.m. - responded to a question about the Russian-Ukrainian war: he fears that it will be a protracted war, in which it is easy to drift. He added: the war is right here in our neighborhood, a war between two big countries, which we must stay out of.
He emphasized that he is convinced that their opponents do not feel the gravity and seriousness of this and want to take steps that would involve Hungary in this conflict. This would be tragic for Hungary, he said, adding that they ran in the election to prevent this.
When asked what result he expects, Viktor Orbán said: he is optimistic. He noted that this is a strange choice, for example, it snows on April 3rd. In addition, he continued, due to the war, in addition to the usual questions, the issue of war and peace also became part of the campaign.
He emphasized that the position of the government side is clear: "we are on the side of guaranteeing peace and security". He added: they see their opponents as dangerous, and they ask everyone to vote for political parties capable of guaranteeing peace and security.
Answering a question in English, he stated in English: he expects a big victory in the election, which he thinks is what the country needs. Speaking about the referendum, he added: it deals with national issues above the parties and the protection of children and families.
Regarding whether he will consider it a failure if Fidesz-KDNP does not have two-thirds, he said: they were in the opposition for sixteen years, in the government for sixteen years, and they hope that today we will finally "turn to the positive".
"Always," the Prime Minister replied when asked if he would accept the result if he did not win. And he commented on the question of whether he would resign as Fidesz president if he loses: "I want to win."
The prime minister answered the question of whether austerity will be necessary after the elections: after the elections, decisions will be made in the interests of the country. Regarding whether the utility reduction will be sustainable, he said: I would like to win today's election and then face these issues as well. "Let's kill the bear first, then negotiate with the weasel," he said.
Viktor Orbán was also asked how equal he thought the conditions were in the campaign. To this he replied: this was a fair and honest election, everyone had a chance to convince the Hungarian voters.
Answering a question, he emphasized: the topic of election fraud usually comes up, sometimes it's serious, sometimes it's frivolous. According to him, the lawyers will have something to clarify after the elections. When asked about the discarded mail ballots found near Marosvásárhely, he confirmed: the lawyers have already discussed this, this matter should be left to them.
The prime minister received many questions about the war in Ukraine. To the suggestion that, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, he may have lost his honor during his contacts with Moscow and remained the only open supporter of Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister responded: "Mr. Zelensky is not voting today."
Answering a question in English about his relationship with the Russian president, Viktor Orbán emphasized in English that he represents Hungarian national interests.
When asked whether, while the government accuses the left of pro-war politics, they can say the same about Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine with armed forces, he responded: "Vladimir Putin is not running in the Hungarian elections, so fortunately this issue does not need to be addressed today ".
Regarding the fact that he agrees with Zsolt Németh, the Fidesz chairman of the foreign affairs committee, that "the Russians are going home", he replied: "Fortunately, they are not here".
The prime minister responded to the suggestion that, as a pro-peace person, Russia's acts of war should not be condemned: they condemn everything that goes against general human standards. We also regularly do this within NATO and the European Union, he added.
We want peace as soon as possible, and then peace negotiations, and then an agreement providing a long-term guarantee for the entire region, he emphasized.
In response to a question about the future of the Visegrád Four, he confirmed: the V4 is not a geopolitical organization, there were often disagreements between them in foreign policy, but the V4 was created to jointly represent their interests in the European Union, supporting each other. "That's why I predict a good future for the V4, it is an extremely successful economically, even the most successful region in Europe, so we will continue the cooperation with the Poles, the Czechs and the Slovaks," he stated.
When asked if he was not afraid of isolation, he answered: a NATO member and an EU member can never be isolated.
When asked whether he still stands by his 2006 statement that he has never lied to the Hungarians, he replied: he always tries to keep his word. In response to a question, the prime minister also revealed that he will still go campaigning after casting his vote.
MTI
Photo: Press Office/Benko Vivien Cher
