Polling firm Nézőpont Institute has found that the number of Hungarians awarding Prime Minister Viktor Orbán high marks has grown thanks to his handling of the novel coronavirus epidemic.
The poll found that 62 percent expressed satisfaction with PM Orbán’s performance, according to the June 24-26 survey of 1,000 voting-age adults, up from 50 percent in 2018 and 52 percent in 2019 and 54 percent at the start of this year. Less than a third expressed dissatisfaction.
“The prime minister has clearly profited politically from the effective action taken against the coronavirus,” Nézőpont said. “Resolute protective measures worked much better than in western Europe,” it added.
The pollster found that the proportion of voters satisfied with the prime minister’s handling of the epidemic extends beyond the circle of ruling Fidesz’s sympathisers, noting that a May survey shows 42 percent of all Hungarians support Fidesz.
Nézőpont’s projections show that the 2022 parliamentary election will be “much more about candidates than the popularity of the parties”. “The opposition would have to overcome two difficult obstacles to succeed,” Nézőpont said. It would have to find a joint candidate and to convince people that he or she could govern better than PM Orbán, it added.