Vendetta start? PM Orbán’s top minister Lázár slams Fidesz-close oligarchs, calls them ticks for living in luxury

Minister of Transport and Construction János Lázár talked about ticks in Fidesz in a Kisvárda forum. He said there were entrepreneurs supported by the Orbán cabinet who forgot to channel back money for public welfare. Instead, they started to live a high life with yachting, spending on luxuries, etc. Lázár said they have to sweep off those ticks to win back the trust of their constituents. Hungarian media talks about former National Bank Governor György Matolcsy and his son, and even Orbán’s friend, Lőrinc Mészáros, the wealthiest Hungarian, among the possible “ticks”.

Ticks in Fidesz

According to a video uploaded on János Lázár’s official Facebook page, he slammed some unnamed government-close oligarchs harshly at an open-air forum in Kisvárda, Northeastern Hungary, yesterday. Lázár talked about ticks who were helped to wealth by the Orbán regime (the System of National Cooperation – NER), but they forgot to channel back money into public welfare. Instead, they started to live a high life, which Lázár is fed up with.

In the name of Fidesz, Lázár urged them to finish that because it brings shame to his political community. Interestingly, after talking in the name of Orbán’s party, he highlighted that that was only his personal opinion about the so-called “ticks”.

János Lázár and Viktor Orbán
Photo: MTI

The video went viral in mere minutes on the Hungarian internet, garnering almost 10 thousand reactions (including mayors of big cities) and more than 3,000 comments. Interestingly, most of the comments slam Lázár and Fidesz saying that even though he said that on the forum, he was and is a beneficiary of the Fidesz system, gaining, for example, a castle and lots of agricultural lands.

Primary target: the Matolcsy clan

The Hungarian media began lamenting who Lázár could have possibly talked about. Their primary suspect is former National Bank Governor György Matolcsy and his son, Ádám Matolcsy, who, according to the suspicion, contributed to a tremendous fortune loss concerning the National Bank and a rural Hungarian university by investing more than EUR 1.5 billion in two foreign real estate companies with continuously decreasing share values. We covered the story in THIS and THIS articles.

János Lázár and Viktor Orbán ticks in Fidesz
János Lázár and Viktor Orbán in a meeting with the Chairman of the Mercedes-Benz Group AG Directorate. Photo: MTI

Orbán and Matolcsy were close allies and friends before, but their relationship deteriorated, and Matolcsy even criticised the government for not stopping the inflation in 2022-2023. In return, government members and Fidesz-close influencers slammed Matolcsy in the last months of his term, but they never talked about the central bank’s controversial foundations. A probe concerning how they used the money started after Mihály Varga took over the governorship of the national bank, and Hungarian media believes he needed Orbán’s approval.

Is Lázár talking with Orbán’s mouth?

Many Hungarian journalists and political scientists believe that what Lázár says is actually what Orbán says. Many believe that was the case in 2013 when Lázár, as Orbán’s secretary of state, called Sándor Csányi, the CEO of the OTP Bank, the biggest loan shark of Hungary who won billions of forints on clients taking out foreign currency loans. He also compared him to an octopus whose tentacles reach everywhere in the Hungarian economy. In 2016, they made peace.

Hungarian billionaire EU funds
Sándor Csányi, CEO of OTP Bank. Photo: facebook.com/otpbank.hu

Fidesz-helped business circles “not using their wealth well” were not the sole targets of Lázár in Kisvárda. He said that Budapesters get much higher wages than rural Hungarians. Consequently, Budapest should not receive more development funds from the government. He also criticised Budapest-based policies concerning rural Hungary’s development. He stated that Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County’s lag behind Budapest decreased during the Fidesz government, but a participant who voted for Fidesz before disagreed with him. He also said that Fidesz never protected their brethren against prison. That is why several Fidesz secretaries and vice-secretaries are under probe or serve their prison sentence.

János Lázár and Viktor Orbán ticks in Fidesz
János Lázár and Viktor Orbán in Makó. Photo: FB/János Lázár

The Hungarian media’s belief that what Lázár said in Kisvárda concerning Fidesz-close oligarchs was a message from Orbán seems to falter on the fact that the minister slammed even the prime minister’s close friend, Lőrinc Mészáros, the wealthiest Hungarian. Mészáros was a medium-sized entrepreneur before Orbán won the 2010 general elections. His career got a jump-start after the first Fidesz supermajority and he gained his wealth almost only by winning public procurements.

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3 Comments

  1. The immensity of the PRESSURIZATION to the name – Orban personally and the Fidesz Government he LEADS, the growing FACTS being EXHIBITED in Hungary, growing in circulation, throughout Europe and Globally, that is “of knowledge” and FACT(s) – in Europe, the European Union and Global – countrys of the World, under Governance of DEMOCRACY.
    This DISASTER as a Government, the Orban led Fidesz Government, it will continue to GROW – widening in divisions ,fragmentation, the separation of Ministers and “lower” senior members of the Orban led Fidesz Government, that will SPREAD – right throughout the Fidesz Minister and Membership, including not just Orbans “inner sanctum” but the Oligarchy, that will be a BLOOD Letting exercise – heads will FALL and BLAME – movement of BLAME from one to another, the running for cover, endeavours to cover “backsides” – just aspect(s) in part, that will occur, through the aggression of a Blood Letting exercise.
    Orban – as the “11th hour” nears – that will see a WORSE picture in Hungary – Economically and Financially, that what WE live in at this point in time, it is inevitable – there will be a HUMONGOUS – Blood Letting SCENE – that will throughout the name Fidesz Political Party – it’s Ministers and “other”.
    Victor Mihaly. Orban – is DOOMED.
    Orban has no cards to play, and when he endeavours to DEAL – just HANDS out ABSOLUTE falseness, un-truths, fabrications, that are just LIES.
    “Vesuvius” nears being seen played out in the Political Party, a DISGRACED political party known as Fidesz.
    Orban, his Fidesz Government – they MUST never, never ,never be APPEASED.

    away from the DOOMED leader – Victor Mihaly. Orban.

  2. So if Orban starts to prosecute oligarchs for corruption he is actually admitting that he allowed Hungary to be robbed by these oligarchs through his NER system. If he doesn’t prosecute them he will be accused of sweeping their corruption under the rug. Orban has nothing to gain here and he loses no matter what as far as public opinion is concerned. Lazar is not clearly saying that these oligarchs did anything illegal. He is just saying that they should have channelled some of the money Orban allowed them make through the Fidesz NER system manipulated for their advantage back to public welfare. What in the world is that! This is not free-market capitalism, this is a mafia patronage system where like Vito Corleone you do a few good deeds in the neighbourhood for public relations in return for running your mafia business. Public welfare is what the goverment is responsible for – not oligarchs.

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