Opening the event, Prime Minister Orbán thanked longtime MP Sándor Farkas for his 28 years of parliamentary service and asked voters to support István Szabó as his successor. He said the next four years will require dependable representatives because the government will face serious challenges.
Turning to the past four years, PM Orbán described them as unfair, saying Hungary had to work under the shadow of war and deal with crises it did not cause. Even so, he argued, the government delivered on its most important promises: Hungary stayed out of the war, support for families continued, young people received new opportunities, and the work-based economy remained in place.
Prime Minister Orbán highlighted several measures as proof of that record. He pointed to the fixed 3 percent home loan for first-time buyers, tax exemptions for those under 25, support for young mothers, doubled family tax benefits, and the lifetime tax exemption for mothers with at least two children. He also said employment had risen from 3.6 million in 2010 to 4.7 million today and pledged that this could reach 5 million by the end of the next cycle.
The central message of the speech, however, was the choice facing voters. PM Orbán underlined that the election this April will decide whether Hungary has a national government or a pro-Ukrainian one. He argued that Brussels wants to finance the war through large loans for Ukraine, even though the European Union does not have the money itself. Instead, he said, Brussels would borrow from banks, pass the funds on to Ukraine, and then leave member states to cover the debt when repayment never comes.
Prime Minister Orbán said he had personally seen the proposed loan agreement and had kept Hungary out of it. He warned that if a pro-Ukrainian government came to power, Hungary would also be drawn into these war loans, and “even our children and grandchildren” would end up paying the price.
He also warned that Hungary is under pressure to give up cheap Russian energy. PM Orbán said that if Kyiv, Brussels, and the Tisza Party succeed in cutting Hungary off from eastern supplies, household utility bills could triple, and fuel prices could rise to around HUF 1,000 per liter, taking a full month’s income out of many family budgets.
The prime minister added that Hungary has already done everything that can be morally expected to help Ukrainians fleeing the war by giving them shelter, food, work, and schooling. But he insisted that no country can ask Hungary to destroy itself in order to help another.
In closing, Prime Minister Orbán said the next four years will require experience, calm judgment, and firm leadership. Hungary, he argued, must again say no to war, to foreign pressure, and to being stripped of its resources. “Fidesz is the safe choice,” PM Orbán said, urging voters in Szentes to support the governing parties on April 12.