The Secret to Fidesz’s Success

Keeping the opponent under constant pressure, the continuous campaign mode, is also part of Fidesz’s electoral success, writes Dániel Deák, political influencer and analyst, in his new book.

Fidesz recipe – from campaign to campaign is the title of the first book by Dániel Deák, political analyst at the XXI Century Institute and well-known, right-wing pundit. The author explores how it is possible that in the last 30 years no party in Hungary has ever received as many votes as the Fidesz-KDNP coalition in 2022. Last year’s parliamentary election was the fourth consecutive time that the Right had won a two-thirds majority. Despite the united opposition, the economic crisis, the epidemic ,and the war, Fidesz has not only not weakened, but has even grown stronger.

“One of the most important parts of the success story is the constant campaign mode, never switching to rest mode, always adding fuel to the fire,” Deák told Mandiner news portal on the publication of his book. “Politics is the art of persuading people, of controlling the context and of narrating events,” he explained.

Fidesz has learned well: never let your opponent grow, keep them under constant pressure,”

he stressed.

According to Márton Békés, Director of the XXI Century Institute, as in war, so in politics, “we must first know ourselves and then our opponents in order to go to war with the right knowledge, and then creatively shape the battlefield and the behavior of the armies on it, to achieve victory.” “It is this political knowledge that has led the Hungarian Right to four consecutive electoral victories since 2010 with a constitutional majority,” he wrote in the book’s foreword.

He summarized the recipe for success in five points:

1. Broad and continuous community building, both within the party and civil society, leading to a social majority.
2. Continued, trust-building, accountable, stable governance.
3. Authentic, compelling, long-term intellectual innovation.
4. Election campaigning that is accessible, consistent, broad and deep.
5. An experienced, proven, and competent candidate for prime minister.

At last year’s CPAC Budapest conference, Viktor Orbán also presented a 12-point recipe for success, including community building and exposing the real intentions of the opponent.

PM Viktor Orbán at #CPACHungary set out a 12-point recipe for successful conservative politics pic.twitter.com/94v9v6stdE

— Balázs Orbán (@BalazsOrban_HU) May 20, 2022

Featured photo via Miniszterelnöki Sajtóiroda/Benko Vivien Cher