Anita Combes
BUDAPEST (Reuters) – The results of the European Parliament elections will show Hungarians that Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government is replaceable, political newcomer Peter Magyar told Reuters after a campaign rally attended by tens of thousands of people on the eve of election day.
Sunday’s European elections will be the first test for Mr Magyar, a former government official who burst onto Hungarian politics just four months ago as an opponent of Orban’s government, accusing it of corruption and state propaganda.
The latest polls show Orban’s right-wing Fidesz party has a support rate of 44% to 48%, while Hungary’s centre-right Tisza party has a support rate of 23% to 29%.
Whether the party gets 20 percent or 30 percent of the vote, Magyar said, “everyone will start to believe that a change of government is possible, even those who didn’t believe before.”
Although his name appears first on the Tisza party list, he does not intend to seek a seat in the European Parliament if elected, but rather hopes to remain in Hungary and lay the foundations to defeat Orban in the next general elections scheduled for 2026.
Magyar said he would start building a party that is currently effectively a “one-man show.”
The 43-year-old lawyer said MEPs from his party would first focus on “bringing home” currently frozen European Union funds intended for Hungary, even though the Hungarian government has most of the tools to do so.
The EU has suspended significant financial aid to Hungary over concerns it is undermining democratic checks and balances.
“We really need that money for small businesses, for farmers, for our health care system, for education,” he said.
To prevent misuse of EU funds, the party will propose checks on how the money is spent before it is disbursed, rather than after.
Polls suggest Tisza will win six to seven seats in the European Parliament. Magyar said Tisza’s MEPs would seek seats on committees important to Hungarians, such as agriculture, competitiveness, finance, environment and health.
“This is also why we are heading towards the European People’s Party, because it is the largest parliamentary group and it is the easiest place to act in our interests,” Magyar said.
This week Politico reported that Manfred Weber, leader of the European People’s Party (EPP), said he was “very happy to work with Magyar”.
(Edited by: xxxxxx)
