Orbán bills Hungary’s elections as choice between war, peace

Budapest, Apr 3 (EFE).- Hungary’s prime minister Viktor Orbán on Sunday billed his country’s parliamentary elections, in which he is vying for a fourth term, as a choice between “war or peace.”

The ultra-nationalist PM has painted himself as a guarantor of stability and accuses the opposition, which for the first time since 2010 has a chance of winning in the polls, of wanting Hungary to become involved in the Ukraine war by offering it solidarity to Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“It is a war between two big countries and it is something dangerous. We should not get involved,” Orbán said after casting his vote in Budapest.

“Our [political] opponents are unaware of the severity of the situation and want to take steps that would implicate our country in the war. That would be a tragedy for Hungary.”

Although he maintains a positive relationship with Russian president Vladimir Putin, Orban has supported the European Union sanctions on Moscow.

He has, however, refused to send weapons to Kyiv and has blocked the transit of Nato material destined for Ukraine through Hungary, despite his country being a member of the alliance.

Recent polling suggests Orbán will secure a slight advantage in Sunday’s elections.

Hungary has taken over 400,000 Ukrainian refugees since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of its smaller neighbor.

The conflict in Ukraine naturally became a core theme of Hungary’s election campaign. The country’s political opposition branded Orbán a “mini-Putin” due to his perceived autocratic tendencies and his growing antagonism towards the European Union.

The opposition, an umbrella for six parties spanning the political spectrum, has pledged to deliver a pro-European approach and rescind Orbán-backed policies that since 2010 have blurred the separation of powers in the country. EFE

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