Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he is not the only possible candidate of the ruling Fidesz party for the post of prime minister in next year's parliamentary elections, while emphasizing that he has the necessary qualities to continue leading the country, Bloomberg reported.
The statement was made at a meeting with citizens, at which Transport and Construction Minister Janos Lászlár asked him why Hungarians should vote for him after nearly two decades at the helm of the government. Orban was visibly surprised by the question, the agency added.
In response, the Hungarian prime minister began to list possible alternatives for the ruling party's candidate, including Lászlár himself, as well as long-time finance minister and current governor of the Hungarian Central Bank Mihai Varga. Orban later said that at 62, he was in the “best age” to continue governing the country.
“We have a fantastic community and we can always produce the best leader we need,” Orban said at a joint campaign event with Fidesz’s Lazar in the southern Hungarian city of Szeged.
Hungary is heading into a crucial parliamentary election, and the new liberal-conservative Tisza party, led by Peter Magyar, is leading in most opinion polls ahead of the vote, which is likely to take place in April, Bloomberg notes.
Growing fatigue with Orban’s long rule since 2010, a cost-of-living crisis and widespread corruption allegations have fueled support for Magyar. He promises to end the concentration of power in Orbán’s hands and return Hungary to the core of the European Union. European institutions have already cited the erosion of the rule of law and corruption as reasons for freezing a significant portion of funds earmarked for the country.
Despite Orbán’s assurances that Fidesz is capable of renewal, the Hungarian prime minister has dominated the party since its creation in the late 1980s. Over the years, he has repeatedly sidelined or marginalized potential internal party rivals, including in 2018 Lazar himself, who later returned to the government as his key ally.
Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that, with Fidesz trailing by double digits in some polls, Orbán was considering running for president and transforming the now largely ceremonial position of head of state into the most powerful post in the country.