Leader of Hungarian opposition does not want to take part in live televised debate – here is why, UPDATED
The M1 news channel has offered a new date for the debate between Balázs Orbán, the prime minister’s political director and Péter Magyar, the leader of the opposition Tisza party. Tisza Party received almost 30% on the 9 June European parliamentary elections and their support continues to grow, so we can say that they are currently the challenger of PM Orbán’s Fidesz. Based on recent polls, they stand at 39%, only a couple of percent behind Orbán’s Fidesz party.
MTVA is suggesting to hold the live debate on October 3, at 8.35pm, MTVA said on Tuesday. The debate was scheduled for September 19, but Magyar rejected the date saying he would participate only after the flood had subsided.
The Tisza Party – in a reaction concerning the new debate date – told Telex that Magyar would participate in a debate only with PM Orbán since he has nothing to discuss with Balázs Orbán, who does not hold a significant position in the government or the Fidesz party.
Meanwhile, Magyar slammed the government in a post stating that they were unable to deploy thousands of soldiers to take part in the flood protection efforts. Instead, the number of military personnel helping with protection struggles is only 1,600. He suggested that without the help of civil volunteers, the Hungarian government could not protect Hungary from the flood.
Magyar: Volunteers key to success of flood defence
Without the hard work of tens of thousands of volunteers, flood defences “wouldn’t work anywhere”, the opposition Tisza Party leader said in a statement on Wednesday. Péter Magyar wrote that 12,000 volunteer reservists had been working on the dams since Sunday, while the government had only managed to deploy 1,600 soldiers by Wednesday over five days.
“While children are also (rightly) filling sandbags, the army is holding military exercises in Bakony,” he said. Magyar hailed national unity and the work of civilians as “something to be applauded”. “But in a normally functioning government, the work of civilians wouldn’t be complemented by professional staff, but the other way around,” he added.
Here’s the defence minister’s reply
Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky, the defence minister, rejected Magyar’s comments about the number of soldiers working on the dams, saying the Hungarian Armed Forces was “not a joke” or something to be “insulted”. “Who is anyone to insult the capabilities of the Hungarian Armed Forces and specifically the soldiers?” the minister said in a video posted on Facebook. He said the deployment of the military was not about “rushing and running to whatever place comes to mind just because the cameras are there”, adding that the defence work was a carefully planned manoeuvre. Szalay-Bobrovniczky said the troops were deployed where they were needed, which was determined by the water management authority.
Read also:
- Extreme flood reached Hungary: Danube bridge, border crossing closed, ferry service halted, train service changed – read more HERE
Misleading title??? Mr. Magyar DOES want to debate, albeit on a more expedient date and with The Great Leader himself, not the Mouth of Mr. Orbán (however a devoted servant he may be)?
Orban’s strategy is to never let an opposition leader to be on an equal footing as himself. That is why he will never have a one on one debate with an oppostion leader and hasn’t appeared in an election debate since 2006. He sent Deutsch Tamas to the EP election debate on May 30th and had the format carefully controlled so that Magyar Peter only had eight minutes (11 party representatives) to speak on a limited number of topics. He knows that if he appears on a stage outside his control it puts him at great risk of losing to the opposition in a publicly televised event. Orban is afraid and feels inadequate to defend his record. No dictator allows his opponents to directly question or berate him in public and Orban is a dictator.
Magyar is a one-trick pony, financed by the usual suspects, and of a seriously questionable personal moral character (q.v. what he did to his wife).
His spark, alluring for its novelty, will fizzle out betimes, too. The Hungarian people don’t want their country turned into a dystopian globalist-socialist province where they’re cowering and shivering in their homes because illegal alien hordes make it too dangerous to go out while “green” lunatics have made heating unaffordable.
Steiner the rumors about physical abuse between Magyar and his wife are all Fidesz propaganda. Orban’s wife showed up in a Budapest hospital more than a year ago for apparent assault though none of it is obviously reported on. Don’t bother trying to change the subject on Orban’s cowardice at not appearing at any debate since he had his head handed to him in his losing debate in 2006. He is a scared chicken who is squawking.
@michaelsteiner – some of my friends in Russia are dreading winter, not because heating is “unaffordable”, but because the infrastructure is falling to bits. It is a lot colder than here in winter, and heating sometimes does not work (none, nada) for weeks upon WEEKS. This was LAST winter. And obviously funds are now needed for more, let´s say … Pressing needs than some maintenance?
Re the “hordes” – is this like Planet Z ??? Or is it a “they look different” situation ? I recall people of color not being commonplace. Link to song by the band Madness. Give it a listen, look up the inspiration of the song and let me know what you think?
https://youtu.be/P23Gqn6y8AI?si=zQ-F5xzdzdWym3F9