Viktor Orbán Re-Elected As Fidesz Party Leader In Hungary Despite Election Loss
BUDAPEST, June 13 (Reuters) – Hungary’s main opposition Fidesz party re-elected former Prime Minister Viktor orban He won another year as leader on Saturday despite opposition from the party. loss of power In the elections to be held on April 12 for the centre-right Tisza party.
Nationalist orbanThe 62-year-old has inspired right-wing conservatives in Europe and the United States as the mastermind of what he calls an “illiberal” model of democracy.
orbanAfter Fidesz’s defeat, his political future came into question and he faced pressure from some former loyalists. withdraw from politicsIt is the first such open criticism since he came to power in 2010.
729 of 737 delegates voted for re-election orban State news agency MTI reported that Fidesz was at the party congress. There were no rivals competing against him.
“I’m not giving up, never, never, never, never, never give up” orban In his speech at the congress before the vote, he reiterated that the party took full responsibility for the election defeat.
orban He said Fidesz had been a “great ruling party” for 16 years but needed to undergo changes to become a functional opposition party that would be ready to rule again.
In the April elections, Prime Minister Peter Magyar’s Tisza party won a two-thirds majority in parliament; orbanconstitutional amendments.
According to opinion polls, Fidesz has lost support since the election. A poll conducted by the Publicus Institute in May showed that Tisza’s support rose from 53% in the election to 55%, while support for Fidesz fell from 39% to 17%.
(Reporting by Anita Komuves, Editing by Gareth Jones)
