Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s new challenger mobilized tens of thousands of supporters in the Hungarian capital on Saturday, outlining a plan to unite the country and end the populist leader’s 14 years in power.
The demonstration was at the center of a series of recent protests against Orban’s right-wing nationalist government and was led by political newcomer Peter Magyar, a former insider of Hungary’s ruling Fidesz party. Corruption and nepotism among the country’s leaders.
Magyar addressed a crowd in a vast square near Budapest’s parliament building, announcing that he would create a new political community aimed at uniting conservatives and liberals disillusioned with Orban’s rule and a fragmented and ineffective political opposition. Send the Hungarians.
“Step by step, brick by brick, we are taking back our homeland and building a new country, a sovereign, modern, European Hungary,” Magyar said, adding that the protest was “the largest in many years.” large-scale political demonstrations.”
Magyar, 43, is a former member of Orban’s political establishment and the ex-husband of Judit Varga, the former justice minister and Orban ally. But he broke away from the ranks in February after a political scandal led to the resignation of his ex-wife and president, and has amassed a large following by making frequent media appearances describing Hungary’s political life as having been taken over by a regime By. A privileged group of oligarchs and anti-democratic elites.
He believes Orban’s government operates like a “mafia” and advocates a moral, political and economic transformation of the country to curb corruption and create a more pluralistic political system.
“More than two decades have passed and our elected leaders have incited the Hungarian people to fight against each other. Whether our country’s fortunes are good or on the verge of bankruptcy, we will fight against each other instead of uniting ourselves,” Magyar said. “Let’s end this now.”
The Hungarian government viewed Magyar as an opportunist who sought to carve out a new career after he divorced Varga and lost his positions at several state-owned companies. But his rise has compounded Orban’s political woes, which include resignations from members of his government and a painful economic crisis.
Last month, Mazar released audio recordings of conversations between him and his ex-wife Varga that he said proved senior officials conspired to manipulate court records to hide their involvement in corruption cases. He called on Orbán’s government to resign and for fair elections to be restored.
Orban’s critics at home and in the EU have long accused him of eroding Hungary’s democratic institutions, taking over much of the media and changing the country’s electoral system to give his party an advantage. The EU has withheld billions of dollars in funding from Budapest over alleged democratic backsliding, misuse of EU funds and failure to safeguard minority rights.
Zoltan Koszler, one of Saturday’s demonstrators, said he wanted to “completely change the system, but now I can’t accept that at all.”
“I hope to live in a normal country governed by the rule of law, where the principles of the rule of law are truly observed not only on paper but in reality,” he said.
Magyar said he would form a new party and run in EU and municipal elections this summer.
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