Hungary’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, has listed 12 demands addressed to the EU during a key speech on a public holiday traditionally charged with nationalist fervor.
The 12 points outlined in the speech centered chiefly on sovereignty issue but also included the removal of “Soros agents” from the European Commission as well as familiar anti-immigration rhetoric and a call to prevent the “unnatural re-education of our children,” Hungarian newspaper Magyar Nemzet reported.
Orbán also demanded protection of Europe’s Christian heritage and the exclusion of Ukraine from the bloc.
The Hungarian prime minister was expected to use the occasion on Sunday to build on his nationalist message of protecting and strengthening the country’s sovereignty and national identity.
He and his Fidesz party have frequently clashed with the EU over the populist’s style of government, which the bloc sees as increasingly authoritarian. Orbán is also pro-Moscow and has opposed military aid to Ukraine.
Orbán and his main opposition rival, Péter Magyar, are expected to use Saturday as a key battleground for political gain.
Two dates stand out in the Hungarian political calendar when politicians make speeches to set out their key agendas and battle for popularity.
March 15 marks the start of an uprising against Hapsburg rule in 1848 which led to Hungary gaining independence form the Austrian Empire. The other date is October 23, the anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution.
Orbán ended his speech on Sunday with the words “Equality, liberty, fraternity!” the battlecry of the 1848 revolution.
Magyar, who heads the biggest opposition party, Tisza, is expected to try to break Fidesz’s dominance with a strong message. Both leaders will likely compete for the largest crowd and greatest media impact.
Hungarian news site Index quoted a Fidesz party insider as saying that “standing up for sovereignty and national forces is a recurring element in Viktor Orbán’s festive speeches,” while Magyar is “under political pressure” after disappointing attendance at his October 23 speech past year.
“March 15 will clearly be a show of force and a mobilization competition between the two political parties, Fidesz and Tisza, to see which one can bring the largest number of people to the streets,” he said.
A recent poll put Magyar’s Tisza party ahead of Orbán’s Fidesz with 46% support against 37%, potentially threatening the prime minister’s 15-year grip on power in parliamentary elections scheduled for 2026.
