Slovak Nationalists Ridicule Brussels’ Sanctions Against the Orbán Government

“Sanctions against Orbán? Let us stop the nonsense from Brussels”, reads the election poster along Slovakia’s roadsides. One would be mistaken to assume though that they have been paid for by the party of the Hungarian minority in the country. The truth may surprise you.

The posters have been positioned on the road leading to the Southern Slovakian regional district center Nitra. They have been paid for by the Slovak eurosceptic nationalist part, Republika, lead by Milan Uhrík. We have found them posted both in the traditionally Slovak-inhabited village of Komjatice (Komját), as well as neighboring Veľký Kýr (Nagykér), a formerly Hungarian majority settlement. So what is the logic behind this phenomenon?

On the one hand, one would think that campaigning among Slovak traditionalists with the Hungarian Prime Minister’s grievances would prove somewhat counterproductive. On the other hand, paying for a Slovak nationalist party’s poster campaign in villages inhabited by the Hungarian minority would be a waste of resources. But there is an equitable calculation behind the approach.

Bruselskí progresívci chceli zakázať konferenciu #NatCon, kde bol premiér Orbána a Nigel Farage. Podávame podnet belgickej prokuratúre! Liberáli sú čoraz drzejší. Musíme držať spolu. Spoločne s 28 europoslancami z frakcií ID, ECR a EPP posielame podnet! https://t.co/NlG0onvghM

— Milan Uhrik MEP • Republika (@MilanUhrik) April 23, 2024

Slovak parties with a national conservative profile have learnt during recent elections that they are able to grab a significant chunk of the Hungarian vote if they position themselves as an antidote to Euro-federalist and progressivist forces. Traditional fault-lines between Hungarian and Slovak electoral habits are disappearing, while new ones along sovereigntist-nationalism and globalist-progressivism are emerging. Although differences in historical perspectives remain, both the majority Slovak and minority Hungarian population in Slovakia identify the main threat to their way of life in political movements threatening national sovereignty and traditional values with their emphasis on open borders, gender politics, as well as bellicose rhetoric in the emerging multi-polar world.

The Hungarian Alliance’s (Magyar Szövetség) lackluster campaign before the June 9th European Parliament elections has been an object of some criticism among the ranks of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia. Some of them have already voted for current Prime Minister Robert Fico’s SMER-SD during the September 2023 parliamentary elections instead of the Alliance, that has received only 4.4%, thus remaining below the parliamentary threshold. In the first round of the presidential elections (March 23) the Hungarian candidate had received only 2.9% of the vote, well below expectations. In the second round (April 6), most Hungarians have voted for the candidate of the national conservative forces, Peter Pellegrini.

Current polls put the Hungarian Alliance just above the 5% EP election threshold, this will be the strongest test of their new line-up and redefined program to date.

Although during the June elections Prime Minister Robert Fico’s party, Smer, is expected to be the recipient of more potential votes from conservative Hungarians in Slovakia than Milan Uhrík’s Republika, their witty poster campaign is an indicator of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s popularity among Slovak nationalists. The Hungarian Prime Minister is considered to be a leading figure in the struggle against globalism and Euro-federalism among national conservatives forces in Central Europe, thus a reference to his name can serve as an indicator even as to what values and program a non-Hungarian party is campaigning with. It is somewhat ironic though that it was the Slovak nationalist forces who have utilized this in their campaign, instead of the Hungarian party identifying it as an opportunity for mobilizing their own voter segment.

 

Featured Image: Hungary Today