“We have such a victory it can be seen from the moon, but it’s sure that it can be seen from Brussels,” Orban said in his speech on Sunday night, making light of his government’s long-running tensions with EU leaders. Pro-Putin leaders win two elections in Europe, reminding the Kremlin it has friends in high places (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images) Sean Gallup/Getty Images
Putin is in Budapest on a one-day visit, his first visit to an EU-member country since he attended ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of the D-Day invasions in France in June, 2014.
Opposition leader Peter Marki-Zay even failed to win in his own district, where he had served as mayor.īUDAPEST, HUNGARY - FEBRUARY 17: Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban converse during a signing ceremony of several agreements between the two countries at Parliament on Februin Budapest, Hungary. Orban faced a more organized opposition campaign than in previous polls, but his Fidesz party nonetheless won comfortably across much of the country. Putin congratulated Orban on his victory, a Kremlin spokesperson said Monday, adding: “Despite the difficult international situation, the further development of bilateral partnership fully meets the interests of Russia and Hungary.” Hungary is heavily reliant on Russian energy and Orban has dodged opportunities to condemn Putin’s assault on its neighboring state, complicating the EU’s efforts to present a united front against him. In his victory speech, Orban called Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky one of the “opponents” he had to overcome during the campaign. The election campaign was dominated by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which put Orban’s lengthy association with Russian President Vladimir Putin under scrutiny. It won 53% of the vote with almost all ballots counted, enough for a commanding lead over a united coalition of opposition parties. Orban’s Fidesz party strengthened their position in Parliament despite forecasts predicting a tight race. Hungary’s authoritarian leader and longtime Russian ally, Viktor Orban, clinched a fourth consecutive term in power on Sunday, after a landslide election win that he touted as a rebuke of liberalism, the European Union and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.
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