Opposition PM candidate Márki-Zay pledges support to Zelensky

Péter Márki-Zay, the united opposition’s prime ministerial candidate, has written to Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, to express “deep sympathy, solidarity and full support” to the citizens of Ukraine on behalf of Hungary’s opposition.

He wrote that it was in the fundamental interest of the Hungarians of Transcarpathia that Ukraine should emerge independent and democratic “against the aggressor”. Márki-Zay also expressed pride that Hungarians were “taking part in this heroic struggle”.

In the letter seen by MTI on Wednesday, he said the united opposition, if it came to power in the April 3 election, intended to form Hungarian foreign policy based on a national consensus and return the country to “the core values and objectives of the Euro-Atlantic alliance”.

He pledged to help Ukraine find “a stable place and role in the Euro-Atlantic community” as quickly as possible, and he vowed full support for the start of Ukrainian EU accession negotiations as well as during the accession process.

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Meanwhile, initial reports connected with the war in Ukraine have largely benefitted Hungary’s ruling parties, according to a survey by polling company Median published on Wednesday. The poll published by the news portal hvg360, conducted from Feb. 22-26, found increased support for the ruling alliance. Fidesz and its Christian Democrat ally had an advantage of 4 percentage points before the war started, while this lead swelled to 12 points in February, according to Median’s poll.

The united opposition has lost 2 percentage points since December.

At the same time, the proportion of those expressing an intention either not to vote or uncertainty over how to increased from 13 percent to 20 percent. Expectations regarding the united opposition’s chances have waned, Median found. Last December, 63 percent expected Fidesz to win, while in the latest poll 67 percent did. Fully 45 percent of opposition supporters were confident their side would win the April 3 election, the poll found.

Median said Fidesz had an advantage among the elderly, villagers, the less educated and people on low incomes, while the opposition was preferred among young people, residents of big cities, graduates and the wealthier.

At the end of February, more people considered the country was headed in the wrong direction than the other way round (47-44 percent).

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Source: MTI