Fidesz reaffirms Orbán as party leader in clear decision

Speaking at his Fidesz party congress over the weekend, Orbán received an overwhelming show of support from party delegates, according to Junge Freiheit. Of 737 delegates present, 729 voted in favor of his reelection as party chairman, with zero votes against and just eight abstentions.

In his address, Orbán described himself as a “Kuruc,” a reference to the 17th and 18th century rebels in the Kingdom of Hungary who rose up against Habsburg rule. He traced his political journey back to 1988, when as a young student he co-founded Fidesz as what he considered Hungary’s last chance to avoid being “swallowed and digested” by the Western globalist liberal world.

Orbán Admits Strategic Error

The former prime minister acknowledged that severe crises including the coronavirus pandemic and mass migration into Europe had placed enormous challenges on Hungary. While his people fought valiantly, they ultimately laid down their weapons in the April parliamentary elections. He now fears that liberals will enjoy free rein and that foreign interests will plunder the country.

Following the electoral defeat, Orbán revealed he had considered resigning as party leader out of what he termed a duty of honor, accepting his share of responsibility for the loss. In retrospect, he identified his failure to counter corruption allegations from the opposition Tisza party as a major strategic mistake.

Youth Renewal for the Party

Despite the setback, Orbán ruled out stepping down at this time, stating his intention to hand over a modernized and victorious party to the younger generation. He called for a rejuvenation of the Fidesz leadership, urging people in their thirties and forties who are prepared to dedicate 30 or 40 years of their lives to serving the fatherland to step forward.

After the vote, Orbán thanked supporters on Facebook with a post captioned “Hazámat szolgálom”—”I serve my Fatherland.”

With information from Junge Freiheit