Hopes of Change Dashed by Stagnation
The 2022 Hungarian Election
The 2022 Elections in Hungary were the first truly contested elections over the past decade. The ruling Fidesz party, led by the notorious Viktor Orbán, has had a firm grip over the Hungarian political landscape by winning the two thirds majority in the past four elections. This has allowed Orbán and his party to pass laws and make constitutional changes without major hindrance. The previous four national elections were virtually guaranteed to be won by his party from the start due to a lack of unity on the side of the opposition parties and the conflicts they had amongst themselves. It is due to this change in opposition unity that gave those wishing for a change in the government hope for the 2022 election cycle.
Political Landscape
Entering the 2022 election cycle there were four primary parties vying for a place in Hungarian parliament. The first major one is the center-right, conservative Fidesz party. This party is Euro-skeptic and has created some deep rifts within the European Union. They have also been accused by the EU of hurting political and media freedoms within Hungary. There is currently Article 7 proceedings being launched against Hungary by the EU due to the actions of the Fidesz government.
The next major party is the United for Hungary party, this political organization is the union of the six major opposition parties in the Hungarian parliament ranging from far left, through center left, all the way to center right political groups. This is the first election cycle that the opposition could agree on launching a common prime ministerial candidate along with a common campaign to de-throne the Fidesz government. Their platform was largely comprised of center left legislation ideas and pro-European Union rhetoric.
The next party of note in this election is the Two Tailed Dog Party, this political organization began as a satire party intended to show the futility of Hungarian elections in the era of Orbán and the hopelessness most Hungarian feel when it comes to domestic politics. Their platform is largely based on their core motto “free beer, eternal life, and tax cuts”. They have also promised other initiatives such as a network of high-speed busses that stop nowhere and a national holiday based on pirates. Since starting their satire campaign, the two-tailed-dog party has become a relatively present force in Hungarian politics winning a couple of percentage points in most elections.
The final party of note in the 2022 election cycle is the “Our Home” party. The newest political party, this organization is avowedly far-right. They run on a platform of heavy nationalist and anti-immigration rhetoric along with law and order, preaching strict anti-corruption measures. Along with being extremely popular among far-right extremist voters, they have gained a large following among those that disagree with the anti-COVID measures introduced by the government and have captured the anti-vax and anti-mask demographic.
Election Results
Going into the 2022 election most polls had a virtually 50/50 split between the united opposition and the Fidesz government with Viktor Orbán winning due to a very thin margin. The reality was extremely different. The final results came in in the middle of the night on Sunday and early into the morning hours of Monday and showed a never before seen landslide victory for Fidesz. The ruling party won 52.94% of the vote winning outright over all of the other parties. The United Opposition was second with only 35.16% followed by the “Our Home” party with 6.19% and the Two Tailed Dog party with 3.3%[1]. The landslide victory seems to have been due to over 800,000 registered Jobbik (the center-right party in the opposition coalition) voters not turning up for the election because they did not agree with the progressive policies of the United Opposition. These results have allowed Fidesz to maintain control over the government and reach the two thirds majority with one more representative seat in the parliament than the last election. The Fidesz party won outright in every national voting district except for Budapest, Pécs, and Szeged. This means that they have complete control over Hungarian government for another 4 years.
The Referendum
Along with the national election voters were able to cast their vote in a national referendum which has been called a homophobic scare tactic. The questions, mainly asking about the potential for sex change operations to be forced onto children, had no basis in reality and existed in order to attempt to convince voters one more time of the importance of voting for Fidesz. During the leadup to the election the opposition launched a campaign to show voters how to make their ballots for the referendum invalid, thus invalidating the entire referendum. This was successful and the referendum was invalidated.
Future Effects of this Election
The effects of this election on the European Union are grave. The EU has already launched their legal process against Hungary and has said they would withhold funding from the country if Fidesz won as they did. Hungary will thus continue to be a thorn in the side of EU progress and be an issue to any further movement to integrate the European Union. The close relationship between Viktor Orbán and the Russian President Vladimir Putin will also lead to potential issues within NATO and further difficulties when it comes to how the alliance will deal with the ever-worsening war in Ukraine. The exact effects of the 2022 national elections in Hungary, while quite obviously predictable, will remain to be seen as the next four years unfold.
