“MZP, MZP!” – the crowd chanted as Péter Márki-Zay took to the stage.
He started by saying that he is devastated, he would have never thought that this would be the result. He knew that it was an uneven fight, and that the other side cheated. He believes that the majority of the voters were only reached by the brainwashing propaganda.
He concedes Fidesz’ victory, he simply questions that these were democratic and free elections. There was no debate, he was not allowed on public television, and Fidesz had 13 times as many billboards as the opposition. “It was an uneven fight, and we still took them on.”
Márki-Zay commented that history teaches us: Milosevic was popular even when NATO was bombing him, and Hitler would have won with a two-thirds majority in 1945 while Berlin was surrounded.
He went on to say that he knows that right now, there are many who are listening with tears in their eyes as they contemplate moving abroad. But he is asking everyone to calm down. That is what he will do. He’ll go home, sleep well, kiss his children, and finally spend some time talking to his friends. He added: “Let us calm down, sleep a good night’s sleep. We must make sensible decisions.”
He stressed that his conscience is clear, he did all he could.
He shared that back in the day, everything his grandfather owned was taken from him, even his last two horses were given to the state. He still thinks that his grandfather made the right decision by choosing to stay.
With his family behind him on stage, Márki-Zay said: “We are staying here. And we’ll keep fighting.”
He warned that hard times are ahead. Hard times would have been ahead no matter who had won. “This country is ours, and we must not give up.”
He quoted Jesus: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”
He closed by saying that he believes in a fair and decent Hungary, and he would never give up fighting for this.