Latest news with #TiszaParty
Budapest Times
5 days ago
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Survey: Number of Hungarians rejecting Ukraine's EU integration has increased to 67%
The Nézőpont research institute said on Monday that despite the propaganda and the signature drive of the opposition Tisza Party, the proportion of Hungarians rejecting Ukraine's EU integration has increased to 67 percent from 62 percent. The institute said the number of those opposing Ukraine's EU membership has gone up by more than 300,000, which reflects that a total of 5.2 million Hungarians are against the planned accession. At the same time, support for Ukraine's accession has gone down from 29 percent to 23 percent, Nézőpont said, citing the results of its survey conducted between April 14-15 and May 19-21 by phone on a sample of 1,000, respectively.
Budapest Times
7 days ago
- Business
- Budapest Times
PM Orbán: Brussels wants to hurt Russia more than help European families
Speaking on the 'Good Morning, Hungary!' program, the prime minister criticized EU leaders for pushing forward with energy sanctions against Russia, despite the direct financial burden this imposes on households across the continent. 'Instead of lowering energy costs, Brussels is focused on punishing Russia,' said Prime Minister Orbán, calling the REPowerEU initiative 'nonsensical.' This EU strategy aims to phase out Russian oil, gas, and nuclear energy imports by the end of the year. Under these plans, member states must submit national strategies to eliminate Russian energy dependence. PM Orbán warned that for Hungary, the consequences would be severe: Annual costs would rise by HUF 800 billion if Russian gas were replaced with more expensive alternatives. According to him, this would mean that 'electricity bills would double, and heating costs would quadruple.' He noted that Ukraine's closure of traditional gas and oil transit routes had further complicated matters. However, he credited the Hungarian government's prior efforts to construct new pipeline systems with safeguarding national energy security. 'Without those developments, Hungary would now be without affordable energy—or any energy at all,' he emphasized Turning to the issue of Ukraine's bid for European Union membership, Prime Minister Orbán reiterated his firm opposition. He argued that Ukraine's long-term goal of sustaining a million-strong army poses a serious financial and security challenge to Europe. 'It won't be the Ukrainians paying for this army. It will be us, Europeans,' he said, cautioning that supporting Ukraine's EU accession would divert resources from strengthening Western European defense forces. He also flagged increased Ukrainian intelligence activities within Hungary, noting, 'We are prepared to neutralize these threats.' The prime minister also warned of growing pressure from domestic opposition parties, particularly the Tisza Party, which he described as aligned with Ukrainian interests. He pointed to their internal vote in support of Ukraine's EU membership as evidence. 'They want to force Hungarians to support something that clearly goes against our national interest,' PM Orbán said. He stressed the importance of the ongoing Voks 2025 public consultation as well, in which more than 1 million citizens have already participated. The government sees this as a referendum on the question of Ukrainian accession. 'I trust the Hungarian people will reaffirm our government's 'no',' he said. On domestic policy, PM Orbán outlined a family-centered budget for the coming year. He pledged that from October 2025, mothers with three children will be exempt from personal income tax. This benefit will expand in stages: by January 2026 to mothers under 40 with two children, and eventually to all mothers under 50. 'This is not just a financial policy; it's a vision for strengthening the nation through families,' he explained. The prime minister also addressed the proposed transparency law currently before Hungary's parliament. He argued that all political and media entities in Hungary should be prohibited from receiving foreign funding. 'We need to know who's speaking—whether it's the journalist, the editorial office, or the sponsor behind them,' he said. He noted that the law is particularly urgent given what he described as a surge in Ukrainian-friendly propaganda in Hungary. Finally, PM Orbán highlighted the government's industrial investment agenda, including the '150 factories program' and the landmark BYD electric vehicle plant. He called the Chinese investment a 'major success,' with 2,000 engineers set to work on developing new vehicles in Hungary. 'Electromobility is the future, and we're securing our place in it,' he concluded.
Euronews
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Russia and Ukraine each release hundreds in large-scale prisoner swap
Ukraine and Russia exchanged hundreds of prisoners on Saturday in the second phase of a massive swap between the countries. Both sides released 307 servicemen, a day after 390 combatants and civilians were freed in the first phase on Friday. "Among those who returned today are soldiers from our army, the State Border Service, and the National Guard of Ukraine,' Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on his official Telegram channel. The majority of Ukrainian soldiers released were taken captive in the Donetsk region, some as long ago as 2022, the Ukrainian leader said in an additional video address. He added that others were captured in territories of the Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkiv, and Luhansk regions. A total of 697 Ukrainians have returned home over the past two days, with a third prisoner swap expected to take place on Sunday, which would make it the largest swap in thiree years of conflict. Kyiv and Moscow agreed to swap 1,000 prisoners from each side during the talks in Istanbul last week. It marks a rare moment of cooperation between the two nations, who have failed multipe times to reach on a ceasefire deal. However, the swap did not halt the fighting. On Saturday, a large-scale Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv injured at least 15 people and damaged residential buildings and a shopping mall. "Russia fills each day with horror and murder; it's simply dragging out the war," Zelenskyy said in the video address on Saturday. ""Ukraine is ready for any form of diplomacy that delivers real results. We are ready for all steps that can guarantee true security. It is Russia that is not ready for anything. Next week must be a time for action aimed at increasing pressure on Russia – in other words, aimed at securing peace." Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar walked with a small group of supporters across the border to Romania and was met by supporters in the Romanian city of Oradea on Saturday morning. The president of the Tisza Party left Budapest 10 days ago, and departed on his journey in an effort to win support from Hungarian communities in Romania and appeal to voters who traditionally vote conservative, as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán provides financial support to ethnic Hungarians in Romania. "We are not going (to Romania) to escalate tensions or to cause any harm to our Hungarian brothers and sisters living there. We are going there to express our solidarity," Magyar had said before his departure. He had announced the march, called the "one million steps for peace and national unity" initiative, in the wake of Orbán's communion with far-right, anti-Hungarian presidential candidate George Simion ahead of the Romanian presidential elections. "It has become clear that the corrupt, tired and discredited Prime Minister sees Hungarians abroad as a political product. He tried and is trying to lure you to him not out of faith, not out of commitment, not out of love for his countrymen, but merely to win votes," Magyar said in a speech to hundreds of people in Oradea. "And now, in order to retain power, he is trembling, using increasingly crude means, crossing all boundaries, doing whatever he can, regardless of the damage he is doing to the nation," he added. The opposition leader recognised Hungarians "long for a country that loves each of its citizens, a country that does not stigmatise, that does not push into exclusion." He warned that division, incitement and hatred lead to destruction. "Orbán's destruction, hate-mongering and trench-digging are a thing of the past. The final countdown has begun," Magyar concluded. The politician told Euronews that he had experienced positive feedback from supporters, but he was also met by counter-protesters who chanted Orbán's name, and shouted "Traitor!" and "Go home". Magyar ended his speech by addressing the Romanian people. He applauded them for the outcome of their election, and encouraged them to stay on the European path. The politician emphasised the importance of mutual respect between Romanians and the Hungarian community.
Euronews
25-05-2025
- Politics
- Euronews
Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar walks across Romanian border
Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar walked with a small group of supporters across the border to Romania and was met by supporters in the Romanian city of Oradea on Saturday morning. The president of the Tisza Party left Budapest 10 days ago, and departed on his journey in an effort to win support from Hungarian communities in Romania and appeal to voters who traditionally vote conservative, as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán provides financial support to ethnic Hungarians in Romania. "We are not going (to Romania) to escalate tensions or to cause any harm to our Hungarian brothers and sisters living there. We are going there to express our solidarity," Magyar had said before his departure. He had announced the march, called the "one million steps for peace and national unity" initiative, in the wake of Orbán's communion with far-right, anti-Hungarian presidential candidate George Simion ahead of the Romanian presidential elections. "It has become clear that the corrupt, tired and discredited Prime Minister sees Hungarians abroad as a political product. He tried and is trying to lure you to him not out of faith, not out of commitment, not out of love for his countrymen, but merely to win votes," Magyar said in a speech to hundreds of people in Oradea. "And now, in order to retain power, he is trembling, using increasingly crude means, crossing all boundaries, doing whatever he can, regardless of the damage he is doing to the nation," he added. The opposition leader recognised Hungarians "long for a country that loves each of its citizens, a country that does not stigmatise, that does not push into exclusion." He warned that division, incitement and hatred lead to destruction. "Orbán's destruction, hate-mongering and trench-digging are a thing of the past. The final countdown has begun," Magyar concluded. The politician told Euronews that he had experienced positive feedback from supporters, but he was also met by counter-protesters who chanted Orbán's name, and shouted "Traitor!" and "Go home". Magyar ended his speech by addressing the Romanian people. He applauded them for the outcome of their election, and encouraged them to stay on the European path. The politician emphasised the importance of mutual respect between Romanians and the Hungarian community. The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has deployed all of its standing army infantry and armoured brigades to Gaza, local media reported on Saturday. It comes as Israel intensifies its major offensive in the strip. Earlier, the military said it struck more than 100 targets in a timespan of 24 hours, claiming they were targeting infrastructure used by Hamas. Gaza's Health Ministry said the bodies of 79 people killed in Israeli strikes were brought to hospitals. This toll that does not include hospitals in the battered north, which remain inaccessible as they are encircled by Israeli troops preventing anyone from leaving or entering the facilities. Nine out of a doctor's 10 children were among those killed on Friday, the Health Ministry confirmed. Alaa Najjar, who is a pediatrician at Nasser Hospital, was on duty when an Israeli airstrike hit her home. She had ran home to find her family's house on fire. Najjar's husband was severely wounded and their only surviving child, an 11-year-old son, was in critical condition. The nine children killed in the strike ranged in age from 7 months to 12 years old. Two of the children remained under the rubble. Local health authorities said 3,747 people have been killed in Gaza since Israel intensified its offensive on 18 March in an effort to pressure Hamas to disarm and release all of the 58 remaining Israeli hostages. Hamas said it will only return the remaining hostages in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from the territory. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected those terms and has vowed to maintain control over Gaza and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its Palestinian population. Israel's pressure on Hamas has included a blockade of Gaza and its more than 2 million residents since early March, raising widespread concerns about the critical risk of famine. This week, the first aid trucks entered the territory. Since easing the aid blockade on Monday, Israel has said that 388 aid trucks have entered Gaza. However, Palestinian aid groups dispute this, stating that only 119 trucks have made it through the Karem Shalom crossing. Gaza's Health Ministry reported that the total death toll, which does not distinguish between fighters and civilians, now stands at 53,901 since 7 October 2023, when Hamas militants attacked southern Israel killing 1,200 people.
Free Malaysia Today
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Free Malaysia Today
Hungary's Magyar walks to Romania to court ethnic Hungarians
Peter Magyar will meet Hungarians in Oradea after crossing the border. (AFP pic) BUDAPEST : Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar walked across the border to Romania on Saturday after a week-long journey, in an attempt to win support of the ethnic Hungarians in Romania and appeal to conservative voters in the run-up to the 2026 elections. Magyar's centre-right Tisza party emerged last year to mount the most serious challenge to nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban since he rose to power in 2010. Most opinion polls now put Tisza ahead of Orban's Fidesz party with the next parliamentary elections due in early 2026. No date has been set yet. Carrying Hungary's national flag, Magyar walked across the border on Saturday morning with a group of supporters. 'We are not going (to Romania) to escalate tensions or to cause any harm to our Hungarian brothers and sisters living there. We are going there to express our solidarity,' Magyar said on May 14 when he set out on foot in hiking gear. On his way to the border, Magyar stopped in small towns to talk to rural voters, who have traditionally supported conservative Orban. Orban's government provides financial support to ethnic Hungarian communities in Romania and in 2014 granted the right to vote to Hungarians living abroad. In the last election in 2022 94% of these voters supported Fidesz. The latest poll by the Publicus think tank, published on Friday, showed Tisza with 43% support among decided voters in Hungary while Fidesz had 36%. Magyar announced his march on May 12 after Orban flagged he could cooperate with Romanian hard-right presidential candidate George Simion ahead of the May 18 election there. The RMDSZ party representing ethnic Hungarians in Romania, said Simion's win would pose a threat to minorities' rights and urged its voters to support centrist Nicusor Dan who ended up winning the vote.
