Hungary elects right-wing Orban

HUNGARIAN Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his “decisive” re-election victory and the super majority in Parliament his right-wing populist party appeared to have won yesterday were “an opportunity to defend Hungary”.

Critics said they feared Mr Orban would use his third consecutive term and the Fidesz party’s two-thirds control of Hungary’s national legislature to intensify his attacks on migration and to strengthen his command of the country’s centralised power structure.

Hungary’s remaining independent media, the courts and a university founded by Hun- garian-American billionaire George Soros are also among Mr Orban’s likely targets.

“We created the opportunity for ourselves to defend Hungary,” Mr Orban told a rapturous crowd after his landslide win became certain.

“A great battle is behind us. We have achieved a decisive victory.”

With 98.5 per cent of the votes counted, Fidesz and its small ally, the Christian Democrat party – headed by Mr Orban’s deputy Zsolt Semjen – together had 133 of the 199 seats in Parliament, the minimum needed for a twothirds majority.

The right-wing nationalist Jobbik party placed second with 26 seats, while a Socialistled, left-wing coalition came in third with 20 seats.

“As the results stand, Fidesz performed much better than expected,” Tamas Boros, co-director of the Policy Solutions think tank, said. “There were no small victories for the opposition.”