Most Hungarians believe Orbán will not return as PM

Majority of Hungarians see no path for Orbán's comeback

Nearly two-thirds of Hungarians believe Fidesz has little chance of regaining its former dominance, according to a new survey by Publicus Institute. The poll found that 66% of respondents believed the party would not recover its previous strength, while 27% said it could still rebuild itself. Among Fidesz supporters, however, eight in 10 said they believed the former ruling party would eventually regain its position. Fewer respondents considered a comeback by Viktor Orbán happening in the future. According to the survey, 76% said the former prime minister either would not or was unlikely to return, with 69% saying there was “absolutely no chance” of such a comeback. Fewer than two in 10 respondents thought Orbán could return to power.

The survey also found that 44% believed Orbán “is doing the right thing by retreating into the background”, while 14% agreed that “he is doing the right thing because this is how he can reorganize Fidesz”. Nearly half of Fidesz voters said stepping back could help Orbán reorganise the party, although two in 10 considered the decision a mistake. Among Tisza supporters, many believed it was time for Orbán to withdraw from politics, though 44% said he should still have taken up his parliamentary mandate. More than half of Fidesz voters saw former foreign minister Péter Szijjártó as the strongest potential future leader of the party. According to the survey, six in 10 people believed corruption was the biggest reason for Fidesz's electoral defeat.

Zelensky honours Budapest for standing with Ukraine

Budapest mayor, Gergely Karácsony, received an award in Kyiv from the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Facebook, he wrote that Budapest had been presented with the “Savior City” award, given to cities that have provided exceptional support to Ukraine. “Budapest has indeed provided a great deal of tangible assistance,” he said. Karácsony said the city had supported its sister cities, Berehove and Kyiv, with donations, generators, and other technical equipment, while also helping refugees arriving from Ukraine. “We will continue to do everything we can to make our friends fleeing the war feel at home in our city. But we have done something else as well: we have preserved our moral compass in this era of madness and evil.”

Karácsony said the recognition belonged to the people of Budapest, “who showed their solidarity in many ways even amidst the hate campaigns forced upon them”. He added that Zelenskyy had highlighted in his speech that Budapest had taken a different position from the foreign policy of Hungary’s previous government and had expressed hope for cooperation with the country’s new administration. Recalling a visit to Transcarpathia last autumn, Karácsony noted that he had accepted a donation worth five million forints and attended the opening of the “Autumn in Berehove” event.

Several diplomatic passports issued by Szijjártó's foreign ministry are being revoked

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is reviewing the diplomatic passports issued by Péter Szijjártó, György Velkey announced. The state secretary cited very serious abuses; according to their data, and based on a ministerial decision and individual requests, nearly 1,500 individual diplomatic passports were issued under the previous system. Radio Free Europe previously reported that a total of 10,219 such documents were issued between 2019 and September 2023.

Last year, Antal Rogán’s ministry, citing national security reasons, refused to answer whether, for example, Tamás Lánczi, the president of the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty, former minister Zoltán Balog, soccer player Balázs Dzsudzsák, or Ádám Matolcsy held diplomatic passports. Velkey has now promised to revoke those passports that were issued to people “undeservedly and without any justification.” “Cronies, sports club members, NER business circles, and individuals with foreign ties received diplomatic passports from the state for no reason whatsoever. And they were able to use those passports for years without any explanation,” the state secretary stated.