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60-633: Gábor Fodor announced in January 2013 that he intended to establish a new liberal party in Hungary. He presented his party in April 2013, promising "more liberal, person-centered and patriotic politics". Fodor is a former Minister of Education and a former member of Fidesz and of the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ). He criticized the state's tutelary policy and emphasized, Hungary was then in forefront of

120-450: A "central political forcefield" to govern Hungary for up to 20 years to achieve political stability. In January 2010, László Kövér , head of the party's national board, told reporters the party was aiming at winning a two-thirds majority at the parliamentary elections in April. He noted that Fidesz had a realistic chance to win a landslide. However, this feat was threatened by the rise of the radical nationalist Jobbik party. Kövér said it

180-446: A Christian illiberal democracy . Orbán has described liberal democracy as having undemocratic characteristics because of "being intolerant of alternative views", and being incompatible with and antithetical to Christian democracy (saying: "Christian democracy is, by definition, not liberal: it is, if you like, illiberal."), and praised Turkey , Russia , China , and Singapore as successful examples of illiberal states. Like

240-645: A Member of Parliament again after four years and did not join any parliamentary group. On 19 November 2015, the party was admitted into the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe . The Hungarian Liberal Party was the only political party to openly campaign in favour of the EU's compulsory migrant quota system and asked its supporters to vote "yes" in the October 2016 migrant quota referendum . The MLP's foreign policy advisor István Szent-Iványi said in August 2016 that

300-581: A baby after 1 July 2019. Gyula Moln%C3%A1r Gyula Molnár (born 17 August 1961) is a Hungarian politician who was the leader of the Hungarian Socialist Party between 2016 and 2018. He was a Member of Parliament from 1994 to 2010 and from 2018 to 2022, and also served as Mayor of Újbuda (the eleventh, and most populous, district of Budapest ) from 2002 to 2010. He is married to Dr. Rózsa Bóta; together they have two sons, Gergely and Gábor Milán. This article about

360-506: A desire for Fidesz to remain a member. Orbán and his government have clashed with the EU over the handling of the 2014–2016 European migrant crisis and the death penalty , which is prohibited by EU rules. Hungary was the only EU member state to vote against financial aid for Ukraine during its conflict with Russia-sponsored separatists, and has been a vocal critic of EU sanctions against Russia for its actions in Ukraine. The main cause

420-517: A diverse country." Orbán has "often expressed a preference for a racially homogeneous society." The government has modified the country's Constitution to make it illegal to "settle foreign populations in Hungary." Despite a very low fertility rate that has led to a demographic deficit, the Fidesz government has remained steadfastly opposed to economic immigration that has been harnessed by other European countries to relieve its worker deficits. Instead,

480-533: A minimum wage increase and cash gifts for retirees." It has also implemented a national public works program aimed in particular at assisting neglected rural communities. It has sought national control of key economic sectors while assuming a cautious stance on economic globalization . During the NATO -led bombing of Yugoslavia , Orbán refused the requests of the United States and Great Britain to invade

540-495: A party to call their own and that a lack of cooperation of opposition parties would only help the ruling Fidesz . Later, a Budapest court decided the annulment of election results because of a violation of campaign silence rules. On 20 December 2013, Századvég polls recorded support for the Hungarian Liberal Party for the first time, at about 1% of the vote. On 14 January 2014, the Hungarian Liberal Party joined

600-424: A supermajority in the 2010 election , adopted national-conservative policies, shifted further to the right and became Eurosceptic . In 2011, the new Hungarian constitution was adopted in the parliament and in 2012 it became effective, although it was subject to controversies due to its consolidation of power to Fidesz. Having set Hungary on a path of democratic backsliding , its majority of seats remained after

660-421: A sweeping victory in large part due to the dissatisfaction with the ruling political establishment which was plagued by corruption scandals and by the 2007–2008 financial crisis . The socialist government had also imposed harsh austerity measures in an attempt to rein in its ballooning budget deficits even before the late 2000s’ crisis. In September 2006, a recording of the prime minister admitting to lying about

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720-516: Is a right-wing populist and national-conservative political party in Hungary led by Viktor Orbán . It has increasingly identified as illiberal . Originally formed in 1988 under the name of Alliance of Young Democrats ( Fi atal De mokraták Sz övetsége ) as a centre-left and liberal activist movement that opposed the ruling Marxist–Leninist government. It was registered as a political party in 1990, with Orbán as its leader. It entered

780-508: Is that since 2017, relations with Ukraine rapidly deteriorated over the issue of the Hungarian minority in Ukraine . Hungary has been obstructing Ukraine's integration efforts in the EU and NATO, even though Hungary has also been continuously helping and supporting Ukraine, with an exceptional attention to Transcarpathia . Orbán has strongly criticized EU sanctions against Russia but abstained from vetoing them. The Fidesz government joined

840-581: The 1956 Revolution National Day, where he urged the establishment of a common democratic opposition list for the 2014 parliamentary election, criticizing agreement between the MSZP and Together 2014 and the exclusion of other opposition parties from the cooperation. During the interim mayoral election in Fót , held on November 24, Liberal candidate Nóra Mária Vargha received 13 percent of the votes to come in fifth place. Fodor argued that this showed that liberals needed

900-527: The 2010 parliamentary elections , the party won an outright majority in the first round on 11 April, with the Fidesz-KDNP alliance winning 206 seats, including 119 individual seats. In the final result, Fidesz 263 seats, of which 173 are individual seats. Fidesz held 227 of these seats, giving it an outright majority in the National Assembly by itself. Fidesz was widely seen as propelled to

960-462: The 2014 election , and following the escalation of the migrant crisis , Fidesz began using right-wing populist and anti-immigrant rhetoric. Following the 2022 Hungarian parliamentary election , it currently holds a majority in the National Assembly with 135 seats. It has also held the presidency since 2010, has endorsed the election of every president since 2000, and it enjoys majorities in all 19 county assemblies , while being in opposition in

1020-563: The Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP) formed an alliance for the 2006 elections , which were won by the social-democratic and liberal coalition of Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) and the Alliance of Free Democrats (SZDSZ). Fidesz received 42% of the list votes and 164 of 386 representatives in the National Assembly . On 1 October 2006, Fidesz won the municipal elections, which counterbalanced

1080-546: The European Commission . His Veszprém County seat was taken by an independent candidate in a by-election . Another by-election on 12 April 2015 saw the supermajority lose a second seat, also in Veszprém, to a Jobbik candidate. Fidesz won the nationwide parliamentary election in April 2018 and secured a 3rd supermajority with 133 seats (of 199) in the legislature. Orbán and Fidesz campaigned primarily on

1140-874: The General Assembly of Budapest . Fidesz was initially a member of the Liberal International until 2000, after which it joined the European People's Party . It remained its member until 2021, and since then it has served with the Non-Inscrits group within the European Parliament . On 30 June, 2024, the ANO 2011 , the Freedom Party of Austria , and Fidesz, created a new alliance named Patriots for Europe . The party

1200-455: The Liberal International . At the time, it was a moderate liberal centrist party, sometimes also described as social-liberal . At the 1993 party congress, it changed its political position from liberal to civic-centrist ("polgári centrumpárt"). The turn in ideology caused a severe split in the membership. Péter Molnár left the party along with Gábor Fodor and Klára Ungár, who joined the liberal Alliance of Free Democrats . Viktor Orbán

1260-400: The National Assembly following the 1990 parliamentary election . Following the 1998 election , it successfully formed a centre-right government. It adopted nationalism in the early 2000s, but its popularity declined due to corruption scandals. It was in opposition between 2002 and 2010, and in 2006 it formed a coalition with the Christian Democratic People's Party (KDNP). Fidesz won

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1320-450: The National Assembly , out of a total of 386. Immediately after the election, they accused the opponents of electoral fraud . The 2002 Hungarian municipal elections saw again huge Fidesz losses. In the spring of 2003, Fidesz took its current name, Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Union . It was the most successful party in the 2004 European Parliamentary Elections : it won 47.4% of the vote and 12 of its candidates were elected as Members of

1380-530: The Unity electoral alliance of opposition parties, which was led by chairman of the MSZP Attila Mesterházy and contested the 2014 parliamentary elections . Fodor ran as a candidate for MP from the fourth place of the alliance's national list. The party also received two additional places (56th and 58th) on the list. Although Unity as a whole suffered a heavy defeat in the elections, Fodor became

1440-525: The northernmost territory of Serbia in order to hinder the intervention of Serbian forces in Kosovo . However, he expressed concern about the situation of the Hungarian minority in Serbia and had to cede airspace to NATO forces because Hungary had obtained NATO membership before the war. Fidesz opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq and Hungarian participation in it, questioning the international legitimacy of

1500-696: The 2022 election, leaving the MLP without any parliamentary representation after eight years. Following the 2022 election, while MLP is a technically defunct party without any activity, its politicians are affiliated with the Democratic Coalition. * Limit for parties to join the National Assembly in Hungary is 5 % of popular votes Fidesz Fidesz – Hungarian Civic Alliance ( Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈfidɛs] ; Hungarian : Fidesz – Magyar Polgári Szövetség pronounced [ˈfidɛs ˈmɒɟɒr ˈpolɡaːri ˈsøvɛt͡ʃːeːɡ] )

1560-480: The 2022 national election; if the party did not run in the election, the court would dissolve it under current law (since it did not run under its own banner in 2018 either). Szabadai asked opposition voters not to vote for him but to support the candidate of the United for Hungary , of which DK (and thus MLP) was a member. Both Bősz and Sermer were defeated by the candidates of Fidesz in their respective constituencies in

1620-843: The Dialogue faction on 20 May. Bősz was an independent MP from May 2018 to December 2019. In April 2019, Fodor resigned the MLP's chairman position and Bősz was elected as his successor in December 2019. She joined the DK faction in the National Assembly in the same month. Under her presidency, the MLP gradually became a de facto satellite party of the Democratic Coalition. Its members, Bősz herself and Ádám Sermer ran under DK banner in both 2021 opposition primary and 2022 Hungarian parliamentary election . Only another member Viktor Szabadai announced his candidacy in Csorna constituency under MLP banner in

1680-420: The EU. A public works program has also been criticized by some economists for artificially and deceptively reducing unemployment numbers while engaging in and compensating people for possibly unneeded or unnecessarily inefficient work. Hungary has been highly dependent on EU funds during Fidesz's rule; these representing nearly 4% of the country's GDP, more than for any other EU member. In a landslide victory in

1740-510: The European Parliament (MEPs), including Lívia Járóka , the second Romani MEP. Fidesz's nominee, Dr. László Sólyom , was elected President of Hungary in the 2005 election . He was endorsed by Védegylet , an NGO including people from the whole political spectrum. A self-described " conservative liberal ," he championed elements of both political wings with a selective, but conscious choice of values. In 2005, Fidesz and

1800-612: The Hungarian political landscape crystallized following the fall of Communism and the first free elections in 1990 , Fidesz moved to the right four years later. Although Fidesz was in opposition to the Hungarian Democratic Forum 's national-conservative coalition government from 1990 to 1994, Fidesz became the most prominent liberal-conservative political force in Hungary by 1998. It adopted nationalism , national-liberalism , and Christian democracy in

1860-540: The Hungarian right in general, Fidesz has been more skeptical of the neoliberal economic policies than the Hungarian left. According to researchers, the elites of the Hungarian left (the Hungarian Socialist Party and the former Alliance of Free Democrats ) have been differentiated from the right by being more supportive of the classical liberal economic policies, while the right (especially extreme right) has advocated more economic interventionist policies. In contrast, on issues like church and state and family policies,

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1920-533: The Liberals were ready to enter into a far-reaching compromise with left-leaning opposition parties in order to defeat Viktor Orbán . But after the Socialists and Together 2014 – the grouping led by former PM Gordon Bajnai – opted to stand apart, the Liberals had no other choice but to contest the 2014 parliamentary election on their own. Fodor attended as a public speaker at the opposition demonstration on

1980-547: The MSZP-led government's power to some extent. Fidesz won 15 of 23 mayoralties in Hungary's largest cities—although its candidate narrowly lost the city of Budapest to a member of the SZDSZ—and majorities in 18 out of 20 regional assemblies. In the 2009 European Parliament election , Fidesz won a landslide victory, gaining 56.36% of the vote and 14 of Hungary's 22 seats. In a closed-door party meeting in 2009, Orbán called for

2040-598: The Russian invasion, comparing it to the 1956 Soviet invasion of Hungary . However, Fidesz soon realigned with its formerly pro-Russian position: the party repeatedly opposed sanctions against the Russian Federation, prompting international press to describe Orbán as "a key Putin's ally". Orbán has called for Russia and the United States to negotiate a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, stating that

2100-493: The UK-led diplomatic offensive after the poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal , expelling Russian embassy officials. Orbán has hailed Russia as an exemplary case of illiberal democracy. During his presidency, Orbán has been described as drawing closer to Russian president Vladimir Putin . The closer relationship between the two leaders and nations has however largely been motivated by a tighter economic relationship, part of

2160-646: The Ukrainians could not win the war militarily. Fidesz has adopted anti-immigration stances and rhetoric. The Fidesz government has conversely begun admitting increasing numbers of foreign workers due to a labor shortage resulting from strong economic growth, population decline , and rising wages. In a 2018 address, Orbán said: "We must state that we do not want to be diverse and do not want to be mixed: we do not want our own color, traditions and national culture to be mixed with those of others. We do not want this. We do not want that at all. We do not want to be

2220-457: The constitution, the party embarked on an extraordinary project of passing over 200 laws and drafting and adopting a new constitution—since followed by nearly 2000 amendments. The new constitution has been widely criticized by the European Commission for Democracy through Law , the Council of Europe , the European Parliament and the United States for concentrating too much power in

2280-410: The country's dire economic prospects was revealed by the media and broadcast on radio. Steel barriers were erected around the parliament to protect it from tens of thousands of protesters. After winning 53% of the popular vote in the first round of the 2010 parliamentary election , which translated into a supermajority of 68% of parliamentary seats, giving Fidesz sufficient power to revise or replace

2340-463: The criticized laws. Fidesz won the nationwide parliamentary election in April 2014 and secured a second supermajority with 133 seats (of 199) in the legislature. Observers from The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe stated that Fidesz "enjoyed an undue advantage, including in biased media coverage.” This supermajority was lost, however, when Tibor Navracsics was appointed to

2400-473: The early 2000s. It was positioned on the centre-right , although it moved more to the right as the decade progressed. Fidesz is currently a right-wing party, and it is national conservative while favoring interventionist policies on economic issues like handling of banks, and has a strong conservative stance on social issues, a soft Eurosceptic vision towards European integration , and has been described as right-wing populist . In

2460-472: The election that the MSZP would allocate 60 million HUF annually to MLP from its own state budget, unless the party started separately. However, the MSZP party leadership did not know about this and the party did not consent to it, which also raised suspicions of illicit party support. Bősz's withdrawal reduced the faction's membership to less than five, which would have resulted in its dissolution. However, Tamás Mellár , an independent Member of Parliament, joined

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2520-410: The government announced pecuniary incentives (including eliminating taxes for mothers with more than 3 children, and reducing credit payments and easier access to government-subsidized mortgages), and expanding day care and kindergarten access. The Fidesz government's child incentive program also offers a 10-million-forint government-subsidized zero-interest loan to married couples who are willing to have

2580-532: The government's "Eastern Opening" strategy, announced in 2011. The Fourth Orbán Government initially strongly condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine , aligning the country with NATO and the European Union on the matter: Orbán announced that Hungary would be sending humanitarian aid to Ukraine, but declined to send military equipment. President János Áder (also a Fidesz member) strongly condemned

2640-558: The hands of the ruling party, for limiting oversight of the new constitution by the Constitutional Court of Hungary , and for removing democratic checks and balances in various areas, including the ordinary judiciary , supervision of elections, and the media . In October 2013, Thorbjørn Jagland , Secretary General of the Council of Europe said that the council was satisfied with the amendments which had been made to

2700-512: The invasion. Despite the conflict with the European People's Party and European Union (EU) institutions, Fidesz and the Orbán government have claimed to be not in conflict with, but purportedly in line with pan-European values. As he struggled to maintain rapport with the EPP, Orbán began forming a right-wing populist alliance to electorally challenge the conservative EU establishment despite voicing

2760-593: The issues of immigration and foreign meddling, and the election was seen as a victory for right-wing populism in Europe. With the start of 2019, the prime minister's residence was relocated from the Hungarian Parliament Building to the Buda Castle , a former Carmelite monastery and former royal residence. The move was first planned in 2002 during the first Fidesz government, but was never carried out. Government representatives stated

2820-528: The late 2010s, the party has increasingly been described as far-right ; its ruling style has also been variously described as "soft fascism ", "soft dictatorship", and "soft autocracy ". The Fidesz party has denied such accusations and distanced itself from the extreme right, criticizing such accusations as politically motivated opposition to its anti-immigrant policies and pursuit of illiberal democracy . Orbán and other Fidesz politicians have prominently described their model of government as

2880-434: The liberals show alignment along the traditional left–right spectrum. In the past, Fidesz has implemented several economic liberal policies, including an income flat tax , reductions in the corporate tax rate, restrictions on unemployment benefits , and privatization of state-owned land. The Fidesz government has embraced some government schemes, including "public works job program, pension hikes, utility bill cuts,

2940-545: The move was necessary to uphold the separation of the executive and legislative branch by physically separating the two (in contrast to the Communist era when the two branches operated in the same building) while the opposition criticized the move as profligate (the renovation cost Ft21bn, or €65.5M) and as a symbolic revival of the Horthy era ( Miklós Horthy also took up residence in the building). In 2019 local elections ,

3000-438: The party lost its majority in General Assembly of Budapest and numerous city councils. Fidesz won the 2022 Hungarian parliamentary election and secured a supermajority for the fourth time with 135 seats (of 199) in the legislature. Reuters described it as a "crushing victory". With 54.13% of the popular vote, Fidesz received the highest vote share by any party since Hungary returned to democracy in 1989. In June 2024 it

3060-576: The party supports flat tax . In the 2018 parliamentary election , Anett Bősz was elected to the National Assembly from the joint MSZP–P list. Under the agreement, she became a member of the Dialogue for Hungary (PM) parliamentary group. Ten days after the inaugural meeting of the new national assembly, Anett Bősz left the Dialogue faction on 18 May 2018. It was revealed that Socialist party chairman Gyula Molnár , prime minister-candidate Gergely Karácsony and Liberal party chairman Fodor agreed before

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3120-501: The party that garners the plurality of votes in a constituency. Government debt has fallen by 6% in the 8 years after Fidesz took power in 2010 while the country's credit ratings have improved. Economic growth had almost quadrupled with wages rising by over 10% and destitution decreasing by almost 50% (though still considerable). According to official figures, unemployment had fallen by nearly two-thirds. However, as many as almost half of newly employed Hungarians had found work elsewhere in

3180-607: The region, when liberalism and the SZDSZ were strong. Fodor also introduced the party's programme with the title of "Sympathetic liberalism", breaking away from the "intellectual arrogance" of his previous party. In September 2013, the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) declined to sign an election deal with the Democratic Coalition (DK) and the Hungarian Liberal Party because both parties presented excessive expectations compared to their social support. According to Fodor,

3240-578: The smaller Hungarian Democratic Forum and the Independent Smallholders' Party . In 2000, Fidesz terminated its membership in the Liberal International and joined the European People's Party . The government constituted a "relatively conventional European conservative" rule. Fidesz narrowly lost the 2002 elections to the Hungarian Socialist Party , garnering 41.07% to the Socialists' 42.05%. Fidesz had 169 members of

3300-410: The support of "yes" votes "is the only way to stand up for European values, Hungary’s belonging to Europe and European solidarity", criticizing the behaviour of left-wing parties that decided to boycott the referendum. Hungarian Liberal Party chairman Gábor Fodor (currently the party’s only MP) submitted a bill in 2017 calling for the legalization and regulation of cannabis in Hungary. In economic matters,

3360-466: Was a "lamentably negative" tendency, adding that it was rooted in the "disaster government" of the Socialist Party and its former liberal ally Free Democrats. The strong and preeminent Fidesz has benefited from the fragmented and disjointed opposition that has proved inept at mounting a unified challenge to the ruling party in a country where a majority of parliamentary seats are allocated to

3420-516: Was abolished at the 1993 party congress). In 1989, Fidesz won the Thorolf Rafto Memorial Prize . The movement was represented at the award ceremony by one of its leaders, Péter Molnár , who later became a Member of Parliament in Hungary. In the 1990 elections, the party entered the National Assembly after winning about 6% of the vote. They became a small, though quite popular oppositional party. In 1992, Fidesz joined

3480-490: Was elected party chairman. After its disappointing result in the 1994 elections , Fidesz remained an opposition party but grew increasingly conservative . In 1995, it changed its name to Hungarian Civic Party ( Magyar Polgári Párt ) and sought connections to the national-conservative Hungarian Democratic Forum , a former governing party. Fidesz gained power for the first time at the 1998 elections , with Viktor Orbán becoming prime minister. Their coalition partners were

3540-460: Was founded in the spring of 1988 and named Fiatal Demokraták Szövetsége (Alliance of Young Democrats) with the acronym FIDESZ . It grew out of an underground liberal student activist movement opposed to the ruling Hungarian Socialist Workers' Party . Founding such a movement was semi-illegal at the time, so the founders risked their careers by being involved in the opposition. The membership had an upper age limit of 35 years (this requirement

3600-458: Was revealed that Fidesz had become Google 's biggest advertiser in the whole of the European Union . Defunct Fidesz's position on the political spectrum has changed over time. At its inception as a student movement in the late 1980s, the party was positioned on the centre-left on the political spectrum, and it advocated for liberalism and libertarianism . It was strongly committed towards anti-clerical and secular policies. As

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