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Orbán: I am not afraid to accept election defeat

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said he’s not afraid to lose the next election, as he faces a rare challenge to his two-decade grip on power in Budapest.

Polls show the Fidesz party of Orbán, who has served as prime minister for almost 20 years and uninterrupted for the last 15, trailing Hungary’s opposition Tisza Party, led by Péter Magyar.

In an interview with Mathias Döpfner, CEO of German media group Axel Springer, which owns POLITICO, Orbán said he had “practice” in opposition and wasn’t concerned about his political survival, in response to a question about whether he would accept the result if he lost.

Magyar is flying high in the polls on promises to root out corruption and revitalize Hungary’s stagnating economy. The election is set to take place in the spring, likely April.

“I am not just the record holder of being prime minister, but I’m a record holder of being the leader of opposition as well,” Orbán said.

“I have an experience. I spent 16 years in politics as leader of the opposition,” he added. “Don’t be afraid. I know how to continue.”

Orbán’s 15-year rule has seen Budapest be criticized for backsliding on democracy and rule of law, with the populist-nationalist prime minister frequently clashing with the EU on support for Ukraine, LGBTQ+ rights and Russian sanctions.

“The European Union is a danger to us. They are blackmailing us,” he said. “They try to suffocate us economically and financially.”

Magyar is not his “main opponent” in the election, Orbán argued, but Brussels.

“Brussels would like to change the government in Hungary. They would like a government here in Hungary, as they have done in Poland, which is following the instructions coming from Brussels on migration, on economy, on war,” he said. “But I’m not that guy.”

LP Staff Writers

Writers at Lord’s Press come from a range of professional backgrounds, including history, diplomacy, heraldry, and public administration. Many publish anonymously or under initials—a practice that reflects the publication’s long-standing emphasis on discretion and editorial objectivity. While they bring expertise in European nobility, protocol, and archival research, their role is not to opine, but to document. Their focus remains on accuracy, historical integrity, and the preservation of events and individuals whose significance might otherwise go unrecorded.

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