EP election 2019 – Fidesz steamrolls in Hungary’s poorest towns, averaging 94%

Fidesz secured an impressive victory in the European elections and has dominated in Hungary’s most poverty-stricken areas where 19 out 20 voters cast their ballots for the governing party.

Based on the results of the 10 poorest villages in Hungary, this figure is even bigger than what Fidesz scored in last year’s Hungarian parliamentary elections. As g7.hu reports, their worst result among these towns was 85%, which is the exact average of last year’s polling. 

These towns can be found in Hungary’s Borsod (6), Baranya (3) and Somogy (1) counties. The poorest of them all is Pálmajor in Somogy where all 73 voters cast their ballots for Fidesz: a resounding 100% polling that was replicated in Piskó and Csenyéte. Csenyéte proves to be an interesting case insofar as it was previously the most left-leaning town of the country with 83% of the electorate voting for the Hungarian Socialist Party in 2014. These remarkable achievements helped the governing party to an emphatic victory last Sunday.

There were reports made prior to and afterwards last year’s election about these towns which broadly painted a picture of a populace poverty-stricken but terrified of immigrants.

The residents mainly inform themselves through television and on most occasions were not able to name any other party than Fidesz.

The people living in these areas are often subjected to blackmail as jobs are scarce, and the only way of making a living is through communal work provided by the state itself. These programmes began in 2011 and reached their peak in 2016 where they provided jobs for approximately 250 000 people. 

All things considered, it is still surprising to see Fidesz doing so well in the poorest areas since the rule of the governing party saw those in the bottom 10% stagnating. Contrary to all other social classes, the average income of the bottom 10% has not risen at all in the past 10 years. 

Source: g7.hu