Opposition parties vow to oust Orbán government

The opposition Socialist Party, Jobbik, LMP, DK and Együtt criticised Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and ruling Fidesz after the party’s Sunday congress and vowed to replace them in next spring’s general election.

The Socialists said Fidesz sent the message that it wanted to continue to govern the country, but if elected again in next year’s vote it would only continue with “theft and a hate campaign waged to cover up problems”.

“The Hungarian opposition now has a historic responsibility of joining forces,

giving a political opportunity to the majority of voters who want to oust Fidesz and see a change in government,” the Socialists said.

Gábor Vona, the prime ministerial candidate of radical nationalist Jobbik, said Orbán was concerned about nothing else but retaining power.

Vona said a politician like Orbán who conceals the truth about increasing poverty, the exodus of young people, the spread of corruption and the poor state of health care and education “is unfit” to represent Jobbik’s supporters. He blamed Fidesz for allowing “the settlement of 20,000 migrants in Hungary” through its residency bond scheme.

“As the strongest opposition party, Jobbik will defend Hungary not only against migrants, but against Viktor Orbán as well,” he said.

Bernadett Szél, the prime ministerial candidate of LMP, said Orbán’s speech was “yet another weak effort to conceal the fact that his government has been unable to tackle the problems of the 21st century”.

The Orbán government has over the past seven years kept wages low, destroyed education and health care and sunk deep in corruption, she said.

If elected to power, LMP will renew Hungary and cooperate with Hungarian workers to enforce their interests and ensure them a decent living, Szél said.

The leftist Democratic Coalition (DK) of former prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsány called on Orbán “to stop promising anything else over the few next months that are left before next spring’s vote”.

If Orbán remained in power for another four-year term, Hungary would lose one million people choosing to go abroad and the number of those living in poverty would go up from 3 million to 4 million,

the party said, adding that Orbán would even drive Hungary out of the EU during his next term.

The Együtt (Together) party said the prime minister would with his policy “consume Hungary’s future”. Orbán’s “old-style” speech demonstrated that “he is afraid of a modern, free and progressive world,” it said.

featured image: MTI

Source: MTI