The upcoming parliamentary elections in Hungary will determine whether the country can consolidate its place in the EU and revitalize its stagnating economy with the help of European funds. Otherwise, the state will deviate towards the east, into the authoritarian camp, stated Peter Magyar, the opposition leader in Budapest.
The scrutiny is set to take place on April 12th. Magyar’s center-right Tisza party could represent the most serious threat to the control over power, which has been exercised for 16 years by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, notes hotnews.ro. The elections will constitute a test for the EU to face Russian challenges.
Magyar, in the midst of his electoral campaign, criticized Orban’s cordial relations with Russia and other former Soviet republics, such as Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan, as well as his decision to obtain observer status for Hungary in the Organization of Turkic States.
“This will be a referendum: I think it’s clear that the choice is between Europe or the Turkic Council and dictators. It’s about whether Hungary continues these 16 years of decline (…) or if we head towards Europe and development, joining the Poles, Slovenes, Czechs and Baltic states,” Magyar stated in an interview given to Reuters.
Orban presents Hungary as a bridge between “eastern traditions and western institutions” and argues that the country must be pragmatic in pursuing its economic interests.