Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press that next week's parliamentary elections, in which he will face pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, will be a referendum on whether Hungary will continue its course towards Eastern autocracies or return to the democratic societies of Europe, BTA reports.
Magyar, a former ally of Orban, poses the most serious threat to the prime minister's power since he came to power in 2010.
The Hungarian opposition leader said that Orban has led the country in recent years towards a “180-degree turn“, which has threatened its Western orientation and has moved closer to Moscow.
“Hungarians still believe that Hungary's peace and development are guaranteed by its membership in the EU and NATO“, Magyar said. “I think this will really be a referendum on our country's place in the world“, he added.
Orban has a reputation as a stubborn rebel in the EU because of his frequent use of the right of veto on important decisions, the AP points out. During his election campaign, he warned of numerous external threats that he said threatened Hungarians – the war in Ukraine, the cabal of European bureaucrats and financial elites who oppose Hungary, and an immigration crisis that he says is imminent.
Magyar, who is leading in most opinion polls, has focused on issues that affect voters' daily lives, such as Hungary's struggling public healthcare and public transport sectors, and what he says is widespread government corruption.
At every campaign event, he accuses Orbán and his Fidesz party of turning Hungary into the "poorest and most corrupt" country in the EU and insists that a "peaceful, humane and well-functioning" country is entirely achievable. But he also says that Orban's risky EU policy and his rapprochement with Russia are issues of critical importance for the country's future.
“I think Tisza will achieve a landslide victory in the elections because even Fidesz voters do not want our country to be a Russian puppet, a colony, a factory, instead of belonging to Europe“, said Magyar.
According to Magyar, European leaders could expect a “constructive position“ from a Tisza government, but also “criticism and a willingness to debate“. "We want to be there, at the table," he said.
"The task of the Hungarian prime minister is to represent Hungarian interests at all times and, if necessary, to defend them resolutely, regardless of the cost," Magyar said.
Although he condemns Hungary's rapprochement with Moscow, as well as reports that Russian secret services are interfering in the elections in Orban's favor, he said his future government would have a "pragmatic" approach to Russia.
"Pragmatism means that we have no say in Russia's internal affairs and that they have no say in ours," Magyar said. "Both countries are sovereign and respect each other, but we don't have to like each other," he said.
Magyar criticized Orban's government for diversifying the country's energy mix and called for new agreements and the construction of new infrastructure for oil and gas supplies from other sources.
"This does not mean that we should stop using Russian oil tomorrow. It means that EU resources should be put to good use," he added.