Index – Interior – Péter Szijjártó is a good example, Viktor Orbán wants influential politicians in the front line

Before the meeting in Kötcs, Dániel Deák said: the public speeches of the government party – for example, Péter Kovács XVI. based on the statements of the district mayor – he sees that the key actors within Fidesz expect the prime minister to place greater emphasis on domestic policy and economic issues in his speeches in addition to foreign policy. He also stated that Fidesz must be able to give some sort of response to the Péter Magyar phenomenon.

Now, a 30 percent formation has been created opposite Fidesz, which belongs to the globalist political side. Apart from it, there are one or two smaller blocs that have substantial support, I am thinking of DK and Mi Hazánk. This line-up is, by definition, a different political structure, and it needs to be interpreted as to where it belongs and what is the role of Fidesz. What goals can you formulate until 2026, and what are the points in which you can prove that you can be a winning political force in 2026 as well

– the analyst-activist told our newspaper.

He also answered our questions after the government party picnic on Saturday and said that his pre-formulated expectations were fully confirmed:

The prime minister began with a foreign policy outlook, essentially summarizing his speech in Tusnádfürdő, and then spoke in detail about the domestic political and economic situation for an hour. What he had to say fully met expectations and did not leave any questions unanswered.

According to the ATV information, the prime minister did not once mention Péter Magyar and the Tisza Party during his evaluation of the domestic political situation, but he explained: by 2026, the question will be who promises what kind of future, and the government side will have to win the competition of futures.

The Bese case is saddening, but it won’t stay on the agenda for long

Unlike before, Viktor Orbán stood in front of the cameras and microphones of the press before the closed picnic, and then patiently answered the questions. “They were simply missing”, he explained to the journalists why he held an impromptu press conference in Kötcs this year. In this regard, Dániel Deák drew attention to the fact that it was also included in the details leaked to the press that the Prime Minister talked about the fact that the government must respond to the changed political situation with other means, that is, for example, new communication ideas are needed, and an element of this could have been that the prime minister insisted on holding a press conference in Kötcs, answered questions concerning health and transport, and even the Bese case.

When asked whether the scandal of the now-suspended Catholic priest Gergő Bese was a topic at the picnic, Dániel Deák answered: it was not the main topic, it was a scandal that primarily affects the Catholic Church, but “by definition however, this case saddened many, as they considered Bese’s statements to be honest”.

The public statements of the guests of the meeting in Kötcs also indicate that many people were shocked by this incident. Regardless, I don’t think it’s a matter that will determine the public discourse in the long term. The leading face of the opposition, Péter Magyar, did not speak for a while, and in the end he only issued a terse statement in which he called the Bese case a rubber bone and considered it a governmental distraction. It seems that Péter Magyar does not see much political potential in this either, and this determines that this topic will not be on the agenda for much longer.

explained the analyst-activist.

In his announcement, Péter Magyar stated that the Bese case is primarily “another governmental rubber bone, with which they want to divert attention from the most serious problems of our country, the non-functioning state and theft on an industrial level”. Secondly, he objected that, according to press reports, the government was also visited by a dossier on Bese’s private life activities. “In Hungarian, this means that Fidesz observes people and, if necessary, if their political interests so require, they use the information obtained through secret service and other methods,” said the president of the Tisza Party.

Are the politicians with megaphones and influencers coming?

Regarding Viktor Orbán’s assessment of the domestic political situation, Dániel Deák said: it is not new that there is a reorganization in politics, you have to prepare differently for every election, and you should never start a campaign by giving the same answers as in a previous contest.

In 2026, the opposition will act differently, with a different actor, with a different formation, and by definition, Fidesz’s policy must be adjusted accordingly. The Prime Minister spoke in detail about the technique and tools for this in Kötcs. He designated the direction until 2026, which won the approval of the right-wing community and which could help Fidesz to win another election

Dániel Deák thought.

ATV wrote that Viktor Orbán stated in his speech in Kötcsi that “the era of experts in politics is over”, the politician is a fighter, “he who is not bloody has not fought”. According to Dániel Deák, the Prime Minister indicated that policy debates (such as in the case of healthcare or transport) must be fought, and that politicians who are capable of this are needed.

“Politicians should not behave like experts, because even though experts are smart, in order to be able to argue, they need to act decisively and behave like politicians,” declared Dániel Deák.

ATV also wrote that Viktor Orbán definitely praised Péter Szijjártó among the ministers, who works a lot, but can also be convincing in a “15-second video” in the public space. “Are the politicians with megaphones and influencers coming?” – we asked Dániel Deák.

The analyst-activist replied that “you can put it that way”, but emphasized:

The goal is not for politicians to be empty influencers. The goal is to have politicians who are able to communicate with the electorate in an understandable manner in accordance with the challenges and opportunities of the present, that is, to convey their policy position to the general public. This is the trend all over the world. Péter Magyar was also successful because of long political debates. It became so because he can communicate on social media in a way that appeals to opposition voters. The government also needs such politicians in the front line. Politicians give the government its professional wing. They will continue to be very important actors in government policy, but the front line needs actors who can fight political debates

– said Dániel Deák.

A battle of visions is coming

According to the leaked information, Viktor Orbán also said that a new agreement with the people is needed.

Every political system, every government has an unspoken agreement with the electorate. Thanks to this, they win their trust election after election. Viktor Orbán spoke about the fact that since the coronavirus epidemic and the war in Ukraine have fundamentally transformed the world political order and the domestic political space has also changed, this agreement must be put on a new basis. People must be given hope that their future will be better, since the 2026 election will be decided between two visions of the future. The question will be which vision of the future people consider better

explained the XXI. Század Institute senior analyst.

You can read about Viktor Orbán’s leaked speech in Kötcse in this article, you can watch or read the Prime Minister’s impromptu press conference here, and you can find our report on Kötcse here.

(Cover image: Viktor Orbán at the Kötcsei Picnic on September 7, 2024 . Photo: Bence Tövissi / Index)