About 2,000 people showed up at Millenáris Park in Budapest last Monday for the so-called “Patriots’ Grand Assembly,” a smaller crowd than organisers had hoped for despite appearances by prominent European far-right figures. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán shared the stage with Geert Wilders of the Netherlands, Marine Le Pen of France and Santiago Abascal of Spain, but the audience appeared largely to be older Fidesz loyalists rather than a broad new constituency.
Attendees voiced familiar conservative sentiments. An elderly woman recently returned from the US told DW she wanted “Fidesz and peace to prevail,” while another said she was there as “a Hungarian, peace-loving Christian” who supports conservative values. Visiting politicians heaped praise on Orbán: Wilders called him a “lion,” Italy’s Matteo Salvini called him a “true hero,” and Austria’s Herbert Kickl said Orbán was the “only one who can see among the blind in Brussels.”
Orbán’s speech repeated the themes that have defined his rule — promises that “patriotic forces will take Brussels,” denunciations of liberal-progressive EU governments for economic and social decline, and claims that Hungary is prospering under his leadership. At moments his rhetoric echoed the triumphalist tone once used by communist leaders, a rhetorical contrast to the visible hardship in many rural parts of the country.
Analysts say such events are intended as pre-election messaging. Bulcsú Hunyadi of Political Capital argues the rallies are meant to showcase Orbán’s international allies and strengthen his image, but that they mainly reinforce support among already committed followers rather than sway undecided voters. Orbán also spoke at CPAC Hungary that weekend; critics described both appearances as the image of an ageing autocrat clinging to power.
Despite the show of international backing, Orbán faces serious challenges ahead of the April 12 parliamentary vote. Opposition parties say the government has diverted state funds and personnel into the campaign — actions critics allege are illegal — and public polling has shown Orbán’s Fidesz trailing the opposition alliance often referred to as “Tisza,” or the Respect and Freedom Party.
Domestic scandals have further dented the government’s standing. The biggest involves former central bank chief György Matolcsy and a lavish €275 million renovation of the central bank building, reportedly including a luxury bathroom fitted with gold and black marble and gold-plated toilet accessories. Independent reporting and documents released after legal battles suggest public money may have been channelled through projects that benefited Matolcsy’s inner circle; the “golden toilet brush” has become a potent symbol of elite excess.
A separate environmental controversy has centred on a battery factory north of Budapest. Reports say Samsung breached environmental rules for years, exposing workers to toxic heavy-metal dust, and that the government failed to take action. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó is accused of blocking sanctions, reinforcing perceptions that members of the ruling elite profit at citizens’ expense.
Questions over Kremlin influence complicate matters further. Investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi published a 2020 transcript in which Szijjártó appears to ask his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, for campaign help for populist and far-right parties in neighbouring Slovakia. More recently, revelations that Szijjártó phoned Moscow during European Council meetings to brief Kremlin officials — which he says was routine diplomacy — clash with Orbán’s rhetoric about sovereignty and his habit of denouncing opponents as foreign-paid puppets.
Many people in Budapest were indifferent or hostile to the rally. Some passersby had not heard of it; others were angered. Dani, a man in his mid-twenties, described the event as “pathetic,” saying recent scandals had eroded nationalist credibility. For now, the gathering appears to have been more of a rallying display for already committed supporters than an effective tool to win over undecided voters in a closely contested election.
This article was originally published in German.