Fidesz re-elects Viktor Orbán as party chair

The delegates at Fidesz's congress re-elected Viktor Orbán as party chairman (he was the only nominee) for one more year, and also approved the four deputy chairs on Saturday. According to the results of the vote, 729 delegates voted for Viktor Orbán, while eight did not submit a vote. Except for a three-year period between 2000-2003, Orbán has been at the helm of the party since 1993.

Although he had addressed the delegates earlier in the day as well, Orbán spoke again briefly after the result was announced. He started by expressing his gratitude for the trust placed in him. He said that he considered both Fidesz and the KDNP (Christian Democratic People’s Party, Fidesz’s longtime coalition partner) to be parties willing to devote even an entire decade to creating a sovereign Hungary.

According to him, they had waited and worked for 22 years until the “master of history” granted them the power to govern, so they would be able to secure sovereignty for their “beloved homeland", and their time finally came in 2010.

He felt that this was Hungary’s last chance before it was “swallowed up by the bottomless pit that is the Western globalist liberal world.” He expected the work to take twenty years. “I didn’t foresee everything,” he said, adding that the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and the migrants also “came along”.

Orbán said he is familiar with the opponents and knows what lies ahead for Hungary: “The foreigners are coming, and they’ll empty Hungary's pockets", he warned.

He considered it a matter of honor to step down after their election defeat in April, but without stepping aside entirely. He wants to hand Fidesz over to the younger generation as a party that has a real chance for victory. “I have always been open about what you are getting with me. You know I have no interest in changing. I don’t do things halfheartedly, I don't make complete U-turns, and I won’t be showing up at frivolous parties” he said. Neither money nor international recognition appeal to him; he only wants to serve his country.

The former prime minister concluded his speech by noting that he has no wealth, but he does have a good résumé. When he finished, the members of Fidesz's new national executive committee took the stage to pose for a group photo with Orbán.