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PM Orbán: ‘Hungarians have stood up for Hungary’s sovereignty’

“We won’t preserve this government,” said Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, “but form a new one. We won’t just prolong the previous term, but we will open a new chapter.”

During an international press conference held in the Parliament yesterday, the prime minister reflected on the ruling party’s landslide victory in Sunday’s parliamentary elections and laid out some key issues for the next four years – issues raised by the Hungarian voters.

“Hungarians have laid out the most important topics – the issue of migration and national sovereignty, for example, and ruled that they are the only ones to decide who they want to live together with,” the prime minister said, adding that “we must abide by this decision.”

On his vision of Europe’s future, he stressed that the government of Hungary must stand for a Europe of nations as opposed to the idea of the “united states of Europe.”

“Hungary is a nation that wants a strong Europe of strong Member States,” the prime minister said. For this reason, it’s important that Hungarians, once again “have stood up for Hungary’s sovereignty." 

In addition, he said that demography will figure prominently as a priority issue in his next term.

According to PM Orbán, the negotiations prior to the formation of a new government would take up to three or four weeks. He said that some modifications can be expected in the next government, modifications that are “mostly with new people, partially in new structures.” To the question of whether he would name a former minister to be part of the new government, the prime minister said he could but doesn’t want to.

“The election was a celebration for the people,” Prime Minister Orbán said at the end of his remarks, “this is also why they turned out in such large numbers.”