Primary of the opposition in Hungary: who to beat Viktor Orban in 2022?
Hungarian MEP and opposition primary candidate Klara Dobrev on October 6, 2021 in Budapest.
AFP - ATTILA KISBENEDEK
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
This Sunday, October 17, Hungary should know the result of the unprecedented opposition primary.
Objective: to beat Viktor Orban in the spring of 2022 by presenting a united front.
In the first round, liberals, ecologists, socialists and the extreme right had clashed.
This time, the Hungarians have to choose between two candidates: a center-left Europhile and a conservative economist.
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Hungarians are familiar with Klara Dobrev, from the main opposition Democratic Coalition party.
Passed by the Hungarian government in the 2000s, she has been one of the vice-presidents of the European Parliament for two years.
Among his proposals: "
to overhaul the constitution
", which Viktor Orban has rewritten in recent years to cement his power.
Her weak point: her husband, Prime Minister from 2004 to 2009, still strongly criticized today for having concealed the poor economic state of the country.
Despite this, Klara Dobrev took the lead in the first round on September 30th.
►
To read also: Hungary: MEP Klara Dobrev set to face Viktor Orban in the 2022 legislative elections
Conservative Marki-Zay supported by green mayor of Budapest
Facing her for this second round, the conservative Peter Marki-Zay, a practicing Catholic, father of seven children and unknown until 2018. This economist had then imposed himself in the municipal elections of his hometown, yet a stronghold of the ruling party .
In the first round of the primaries, he came in third position, without financial support or support from a party.
The mayor of Budapest, a very popular environmentalist but given the loser for the second round, then withdrew in his favor - believing that Peter Marki-Zay "
can unite the opposition
" against Viktor Orban.
The Prime Minister's followers describe this primary as "
artificial
" and "
morally questionable
".
A vote that the pro-government media generally ignored, while many Hungarians took part.
►
To read also: Hungary: an EU delegation in Budapest to assess the situation of the rule of law
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Hungary
Viktor Orban