“Hungary hadn’t been able to influence the fate of the Carpathian Basin since 1920,” Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said over the weekend in his annual address to the Civic Picnic in Kötcse, “but now, thanks to the achievements of the last seven years, Hungary plays a central role in the region.”
If Fidesz were to lose the parliamentary elections next spring, he added, all these achievements will be lost.
While the prime minister acknowledged that the odds appear favorable to the governing parties, he was quick to underline that next year’s elections are not over yet. “[I]n politics, performance is worth nothing without the struggle”, he said, adding that “those who don’t fight, don’t deserve to win”.
Over the course of the last seven years, the Orbán Governments have turned a struggling Hungary around, diminishing unemployment to record lows, stabilizing the economy, slashing debt, supporting families, and protecting our borders. All of that contributes to Hungary’s greater stature in the region.
It could be in jeopardy, though, if we are not ready to take up the fight again. “Our fiercest opponents are not the Hungarian opposition parties, they reside abroad,” Prime Minister Orbán said. “The Hungarian government – and Hungary – can be brought down from Washington, Berlin and Brussels.”
Toward the end of his remarks, the prime minister laid out his vision of a new world order, where the Islamization of Europe is a real threat. Experts say that more than 60 million will depart from Africa towards Europe during the next 20 years, increasing the Islamic population above 20 percent in Western Europe by 2030. “The Islamization of Europe is real. Unlike in China or the United States, where it doesn’t stand a chance,” the prime minister asserted.
Turning to the future, Orbán identified four areas of focus: demography, military development, innovation and national organization. In other words: sustaining the population, protecting citizens, boosting the economy and preserving national identity.
The stakes are high for next year’s elections. A defeat for Orbán would put at risk the considerable achievements of the last seven years and undermine a Hungary that has not been this strong and influential in a century.