The 26th congress of the ruling Fidesz party re-elected Viktor Orbán as party chairman. The Hungarian Prime Minister told the event that he is ready to lead the party in the next parliamentary election and continue heading the government if the election is won. Deputy chair Ildikó Gáll Pelczné was also re-elected, while new deputy chairs Gergely Gulyás, Gábor Kubatov and Szilárd Németh were elected to replace outgoing deputy chairs Lajos Kósa, János Lázár and Zoltán Pokorni.
“Europe does not believe in its roots,” Orbán told party deputies commenting on European issues, including immigration ciris. “Europe fails to believe in common sense, military virtues and national pride, and has forgotten Christianity as its root”, he said. “It is promoting human rights, progress, openness, new types of families, tolerance. These are nice and kind things but secondary”, he insisted. “Migrants believe their culture is stronger and more fit—they have no intention whatsoever to adapt…If it goes on like this, we will become a minority and lose Europe,” he added. After electing the party’s new leaders, deputies at the 26th congress of Fidesz party adopted a political declaration against pro-immigration policy. “European citizens never gave an authorisation for this antidemocratic policy, it jeopardises the existence of the European Union itself and threatens to shake the whole of European civilization”, the document says. “Instead of a weak and indecisive Europe, we need a strong Europe again … and we are ready to take part in creating that,” the document concludes.
As for domestic issues, Viktor Orbán told the congress that Fidesz is Central Europe’s longest-standing, largest and most successful party. “We have been here for thirty years … and we will be here in the next thirty years as well,” he added. In the next few years, Fidesz will work on developing a civic Hungary and supporting families will represent an important part of this. “The aim is to ensure that every family has their own roof above their head, which is why we propose reducing the VAT on home construction,” Orbán said. A proposal to reduce the VAT on home construction from 27% to 5% in the next four years will go before parliament on Monday, he told the congress. Orbán said he is ready to lead Fidesz and its allies in the election campaign in two years’ time – if the confidence is there, and, in the event of victory, to continue his work as head of the government.
Viktor Orbán has not said anything about the country’s actual problems, chairman of the opposition Socialist party (MSZP) József Tóbiás said, commenting on Orbán’s speech at the Fidesz congress. Tóbiás said Orbán did not say a word about low wages, the late payment of public sector salaries, the “disastrous” state of the health care sector and the 600,000 Hungarians who left the country to find work abroad. In response to the speech of the prime minister, who said liberalism has lost its appeal and turned against freedom and democracy, the opposition Hungarian Liberal Party said it is Fidesz who has lost contact with reality. Csaba Molnár, deputy leader of the opposition Democratic Coalition said Hungary today takes first place in Europe in terms of corruption but only 25th place in terms of living standards. The radical nationalist Jobbik party said in a statement that the Fidesz party congress failed to provide any answers concerning corruption.
via hungarymatters.hu and MTI photo: Tamás Kovács – MTI