Orban and Hungary
Posted by Emergency-Ferret7627@reddit | AskBalkans | View on Reddit | 39 comments
On the news in my country pretty much everytime saying how bad and corrupt is Orban. I’m wondering what Hungarian people think, is that the true? And if so, why voting for him for the last 20 years?
I’ve also heard that Hungarian voting system was quite complicated. What’s so complicated?
WorldOfTech@reddit
He goes against the EU in regards to Russia, that's why they are all like "he's" corrupt. If he was against Russia everything would be excellent.
So basically I don't know, he could be corrupt but so are like 90% of the politicians in the EU, doesn't mean much.
sognenis@reddit
Erm. No it’s not (only) about his support for Russia/ Putin.
Taki_26@reddit
Its not just corruption, its a maffia state at this point. Most media outlets are goverment controlled so lot of people just belives the garbage they say
WorldOfTech@reddit
You just described all of the Balkan countries btw.
Taki_26@reddit
I dont know how bad it is over there, but Romania iproved moee compared to us, Poland and the Czechs also miles ahead now. So yeah its bad and now we have the chance to change that and we will use this chance
csengedi@reddit
In a nutshell: the 2008 financial crisis met with a highly incompetent socialist government and voted in Fidesz with 2/3 supermajority (they can pretty much do anything including changing the constitution). They used the oppurtunity to build up a propaganda machine which to this day keeps a sizeable part of the population in fear (of migrants, of war, whatever comes up). So they kept being reelected while robbing the country in plain sight, their voters thought “defending” us from the aformentioned issues are far more important.
I wouldn’t say the voting system is too complicated, there are 106 constituencies, one round, first past the post. The rest of the seats (93) are assigned by some complicated maths but I think it’s widely used elsewhere too. (D’Hondt matrix iirc)
SansBouillie@reddit
If the aforementioned issues carry so much weight in elections due to fear - why wouldn't Peter Magyar ride on the idea of "we will approach all issues in the same way as Orban, minus the corruption" this way the people who vote out of fear would choose between corruption and no corruption and not "pro-WW3 vs anti-WW3" or "liberal vs conservative" or other divisive topics
sognenis@reddit
Isn’t he kinda doing that? He left the Govt over corruption, and has a fairly similar policy platform.
Hopeful_Addition7834@reddit
Now imagine all that power given to serve EU leaders.
Effectively someone sitting in Orban's chair, and just "handing the key of Hungary" to EU leaders abroad.
I am curious what will happen, and I think they are ideologically the same, Magyar just has a "clean sheet of paper" and is younger than Orban.
dane_brdarski@reddit
Can you explain more on "robbing the country in plain sight"? What is he doing that the previous governments are not? I'm curious. And I've met Hungarians who can't stand him, but I couldn't say if it's just left/right bias (younger people generally don't like conservatives), since he was winning and it seemed that a lot of people didn't felt that way. What changed?
Hopeful_Addition7834@reddit
They channel about 50(!) percent of state budget to private companies owned by people that Orban likes.
If I remember correctly these companies even got a decade long contract to operate highways, schools, hospitals, and the own energy infrastructure and about 80 percent of rural media outlets.
They effectively create a regulatory environment that chokes all businesses, and they give half of state budget to help out the ones owned by their friends, and just buy up the rest. And they weaponize legislation, judges and police to do this.
Neckbeard_Sama@reddit
"is that the true?"
Yes ... https://nerlist.hu/ feel free to use translation
literally one of their first move was nationalizing (=stealing) 3000 billion HUF (around 11 billion EUR at that time) from ppl private pensions in 2010
Just from the last 2 weeks:
the country's foreign minister is spying for the Russians in the EU
Orban's party tried to infiltrate and destroy the opposition using the secret service
Orban's son tried to wage war in Africa using the Hungarian Army, because God told him so
The former head of the national bank (and his family) who made 650 billion HUF (= 1.7 billion EUR) disappear from foundations they manage, started to trasport their most valuable things in sea containers into Dubai.
half-assed false flag operation in Serbia .... someone "tried to blow up" the oil pipeline near the HU border
we also don't get EU funds for a while now bc Orban failed to comply with anti-corruption EU observers, costing the country a lot of money
"why voting for him for the last 20 years?"
basically they embezzled a fuckton of EU funds through overpriced public tenders that went to businessmen/companies that are friendly towards Orban's party (literally a big fucking mafia) and bought up most of the media in the country
the average boomer pretty much only sees the bullshit they spoon feed ppl through newspapers/TV ... basically an alternate reality
dagli68@reddit
I need more context on this.
Neckbeard_Sama@reddit
https://vsquare.org/africa-viktor-orban-son-gaspar-hungary-military/
this is from january
this is the current one where more of the story got leaked by an ex military member:
https://www.valaszonline.hu/2026/04/03/palinkas-szilveszter-magyar-honvedseg-orban-gaspar-publi/
use translation, couldn't find this in EN
TranslatorLivid685@reddit
Western propaganda all over EU is working hard - "Evil Russians are interfering in Hungary's elections! We can't let that hapend!" (с)
Meanwhile, in Russia: almost zero news and references about Orban and Hungary at all.
Many Russians don't even know about Hungarian elections:)
So, who is actively interfering Hungarian elections? :)
A rhetorical question..
abhora_ratio@reddit
Yeah right.. Following your logic it means that if I beat you without screaming it means the beating didn't happen, lol.
TranslatorLivid685@reddit
I don't believe that Russia spend even a cent on Hungarian elections, while it's obvious that EU has full scale campaing about interference and influence on the elections in Hungary.
Russia just don't care so much about it. It's obvious.
abhora_ratio@reddit
Thank God we are still free to believe whatever we want, even if it's true or not :))
PS: I think you should ask the orange Planet President what actually happened with our elections 🤷♀️
TranslatorLivid685@reddit
As a russian I'm a part of resistance to "orange Planet President"(excellent definition:) ) and part of the struggle for a multipolar world without dictatorship by these orange, insane planetary presidents:)
Romania is not independent from his rule today, but it'll change. Seems like sooner that Russia planned thanks to Trump:) And it's will not be about "Russia interfere in Romania elections" it'll be about "Romania would choose what they want". Russia will just make buisness with Romania according the Romanian people's choise. I believe it's good. At least better than today "hegemony of insane".
abhora_ratio@reddit
As a Russian you should be part of the resistance "Russia choses what they want" and worry less about Romania or Captain Orange. I understand your background and will not discuss it, as it is futile. You have your own problems and solving them will take centuries. Using all this energy in solving your own problems and focusing less on other people's problems would do you and the world a great favor.
Antti5@reddit
Found the generic Russian who has absolutely no idea how elections even work.
Business-Map9514@reddit
Oh, you missed the GRU officials in Budapest to help with the elections…
No-Championship-4632@reddit
It's good, so they won't miss him.
No-Championship-4632@reddit
It is true, it is more corrupt even than Borisov's governments, which is quite an achievement.
Benevolent_Crocodile@reddit
Borisov and Peevski are as corrupt as Orban. They are not barking against the EU and no one notices them, though.
No-Championship-4632@reddit
They are not, but Peevski could become like him if he manages to grab power somehow.
SwimmingHelicopter15@reddit
Romanian here, what I know.
Yes Orban goverment is very corrupt and it holds a great power on the media and justice system. At least in Romania our biggest party had some competition on corruption with other party.
The things that most amazed me is that Hungary is in "emergency state" since 2016, declared by Orban. They just renew it so they could change laws fast and don't need to follow Constitution.
Their voting system is more skewed to be for Fidez. They redefined some zones in their favour. With urban areas getting fewer seats and the votes being rolled over if someones win a region. Similar to what americans complain that land votes more than people.
Hopeful_Addition7834@reddit
I copy here the last two paragraphs of my long comment if you are interested:
Extra twist: Hungarian Parlament is unicamaral, and practices both legislative and executive power. Meaning, once you get the seats, those people choose the prime minister, and the prime minister recommends a president to them which they either accept or reject, but basically once you get the Parlament, you win big. Too big.
Extra extra twist: He control the flow of money, or controls those who control it. Meaning he effectively channels 50(!) percent of state budget, or 15 percent of GDP to private businesses held by whomever he likes. He also if I remember correctly, he rented out for decades the whole highway system, hospitals, schools, to these companies, so his friends (or him?) effectively practicing ownership of the state owned infrastructure. These companies also own about 80 percent of rural media outlets, and energy companies.
Hopeful_Addition7834@reddit
One possible interpretation:
In 1990 Orban was pro free market liberal (compared others).
Around 2002 he realized that it is not enough to be a good leader, but that most voters want a big daddy like Kádár.
Around 2006 when Orban was in opposition the prime minister ordered police to commit violence on protesters, inclusing peaceful supporters of Orban.
Around 2010 Orban said that if he gets elected, he will make constitutional changes, includinng that police will never get violent (he has kept his promise btw).
Around 2012 he implemented a new constitution. Hungary was the last country then which gave up the one copied from tbe Soviet constitution.
Then until about 2015 he kept simplifying and decreasing some taxes, stabilized ethnic tensions, and even brought negative inflation.
In 2015 he started ruling by emergency legislation, which I think he has kept even to this day. Which means that he did not need the Parlament to pass laws/decrees, they just met to make it look like they do something.
Around 2020 he kept pushing some REALLY communist things, such as fixed prices on fuel, and threatening to take businesses that don't keep fuel to sell with a loss.
Around 2022 he abolished a simplified taxation of freelancers, with about 1 or 2 months notice, and made them pay about 7(!) times more taxes and more paperwork.
Around 2024 he made a deal with the Chinese Communist Party to build face recognition system in Hungary, made it illegal to organize LGBT Pride, and said anyone attended can be identified using cameras and fined up to 500 euros I think. (A hundred thousand people attended).
I write a second comment.
Hopeful_Addition7834@reddit
Second comment:
Election system works in a way that there are about 199 seats, I think 108 electorial districts, and the rest are from a national list (it can change from one election to the other). Everyone votes with two votes, one for the national list and one for the local district candidate.
Orban's party targets rural people, so in some election they won almost all districts outside of Budapest.
Here comes the twist:
Even if let's say 49 percent of voters vote Orban, he can get 68 percent of seats, due to targeting district candidates well.
With that 68 percent, he authorized himself in his own constitution to create a new and edit a constitution without holding a referendum.
So basically, if there are 10 million people, 70 percent of them is of voting age, 70 percent of those votes, 49 percent of those vote Orban, meaning 3 million people give him a supermajority and authorizing him to create a constitution as he wishes.
Extra twist: Hungarian Parlament is unicamaral, and practices both legislative and executive power. Meaning, once you get the seats, those people choose the prime minister, and the prime minister recommends a president to them which they either accept or reject, but basically once you get the Parlament, you win big. Too big.
0a_boy0@reddit
Erdoğan is also terrible and he always wins too. How? King of rigged elections. Majority of people dont actually vote for him. Msybe its same for orban.
Taki_26@reddit
On the last election 46% voted for him. But gerrymandering is a thing so thats why you can get 2/3rds of the seat with less than 50% of the votes.
But also they are probably buying votes as well, and people found votes lying on a field in Romania that were for the opposition after the last election.
OptimusTron222@reddit
Maybe there is some rigging taking place don’t know, however we tend to exaggerate things online and make it sound like someone with 20% of the popular vote is in power, which is very very incorrect
Holiday-Step9703@reddit
This. Echochambers are a thing and people need to realize that there's the rest of the population too, however much I'd hate Orban, Vucic and other authoritarian leaders.
OptimusTron222@reddit
Also keep in mind that the people which complain do tend to not even vote, while the silent pro government people vote en-masse
InterestingSplit6095@reddit
I'd venture to say not rigged outright, but the elections are not fair. But would love a Hungarian perspective.
Many-Rooster-7905@reddit
Now or never Hungary
EU sucks, but what sucks even more is domestic populist corruption, show us all the way that decadent assholes in expenssive suits can be brought down
Its also the most alien neighbour to us culturally, but its the neighbour we share the most history with, and Hungary shares the most common history out of its all neighbours with us
Tomorrow is the day Hungary, Orban down
No-Lawfulness-699@reddit
One can only hope. Having JD Vance support him,as well as the Moscow tells you everything you need to know.
Worried-Owl-9198@reddit
There are no Hungarians here, the Romanians drove them out of here.