Martin Schulz, the former President of the European Parliament and a member of the SPD party, predicts that Viktor Orbán will lose the election in Hungary on Sunday. Speaking to the “Stern” podcast “5-Minute Talk” Schulz stated, “Viktor Orbán’s time is coming to an end”. He observed that “you can feel it in the atmosphere emanating from him. He no longer believes in his victory”.
According to Schulz, a defeat for Orbán would represent a positive and major turning point for Europe. He explained that for the EU, this would signal the end of Hungary’s effective blocking tactics, particularly in issues like the Ukraine and energy, where the country has leveraged its veto power.
The former SPD leader added that the “Trumpism”-which he sees Orbán representing, implying the internal erosion of democratic institutions in authoritarian ways-would also face defeat. Schulz concluded, “One can defeat authoritarian regimes through elections; that is where the great opportunity lies”.
However, Schulz also cautioned Europeans against assuming that Orbán’s challenger, Peter Magyar, will champion fully pro-European policies across the board. He suggested that while Magyar will aim to abandon the current deadlock, he might not deviate on crucial issues of European policy, such as migration. Nevertheless, Schulz noted that Magyar would seek compromises, contrasting this with Orbán’s uncompromising stance.
Finally, should Orbán win contrary to predictions, the social democrat anticipated increased conflict with Brussels. Schulz warned, “If he wins on Sunday, he will naturally feel encouraged to harden his current course”.
