In the West, people often call Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban a dictator. They do this because he has been in power for a long time (all up 19 years so far), and because many in the West don’t like his stance on immigration, his degradation of the free press, his corruption, his support of Putin and Trump, his lukewarm support of Ukraine, his influence down to the village level could be described as quite feudalistic, and his disregard for the EU and NATO.
And while Orban is showing more and more dictator-esque tendencies, calling him A Dictator implies that he hasn’t had the genuine backing of the people, and this simply isn’t true. I lived in Hungary for three of his five election wins (2014, 2018, and 2022) and I can tell you he won those elections because a helluva lot of people support him.
In fact, I’d go so far as to say that many people simply love Orban. Why?
He's their first love
In 1989, when Orban was just 26 years old, he gave this speech where he told the Russians to get out of Hungary. I can imagine that, after living for decades in the suppression of communist/socialist Hungary, hearing this would have taken my breath away. I would have been in awe of his courage. I would have wanted to repay this bravery with my loyalty. I would have thought: Here’s a guy that would put his life on the line for the people. I probably would have turned a blind eye to his future failings because this event would have left such an impression on me.
And that’s what’s happened. In that moment, a large chunk of a whole country fell for him. And you never forget your first love.
Ok, so what’s the problem?
As many of us have experienced, you’ll always have a soft spot for your first love. And, if they treat you badly, you’ll still always be chasing how they made you feel in the beginning.
Unfortunately, it’s time to recognise that Orban is no longer that person. If he even was then. Some think he already knew in 1989 that the system was collapsing and he knew he wasn’t taking a personal risk.
According to that theory, it was all a big performative act. And, Orban has continued to be a great actor. Saying one thing to the public with such genuine authenticity, while stealing from his people in the background.
And, in a literal sense, Orban is no longer telling the Russians to get out — in fact he’s welcoming them further and further in to the inner sanctum. I think the Orban of 1989 would be so disappointed in the Orban of 2025.
It’s time to break up and move on.
He's a father figure
In a sense I mean this quite literally – some people in Hungary even refer to him as “Apu” – Dad.
Orban has positioned himself as a beloved father figure, protector of the nation. In an uncertain world, he’s calming and reassuring telling you that while times are tough now better times are just around the corner. He’ll protect you from all the bad things. He’s decisive and confident and he’ll stand firm in the face of criticism. He’s charming. His face is friendly and jovial. As one of my friends put it, he’s like a warm pair of slippers.
Ok, so what’s the problem?
Essentially, there’s no problem with this. I like these things about him also. But, unfortunately, his charm means we’re being charmed. It makes it easier to turn a blind eye to his very poor governance, and ultimately his friendly face is not a good exchange for the horrible state of hospitals and wages.
He's a stable point
Orban has been in power for 15 straight years so he is a point of consistency. If you are 25 today, you won’t remember a time when Orban wasn’t The Prime Minister. But even for older people who do remember BV (Before Viktor) having him there is a point of stability in an uncertain world.
I know what this feels like. When I was growing up, John Howard was the Prime Minister of Australia for 11 years — that’s a fair bit less than Orban, but still. It felt like a Prime Minister other than Howard would be a big risk. How could anyone else possibly know how to do the job?
Auspiciously, after leading for four terms Howard lost the 2007 election AND he even lost his own seat — meaning both his Party and him as an individual were bundled out of the government. People got sick of him.
Naturally, a lot of people don’t like change. Better the devil you know. Best not rock the boat. Let sleeping dogs lie. And even if his supporters can see that things aren’t exactly going swimmingly, Orban is a known quantity…and would someone else even be better anyway?
Ok, so what’s the problem?
Stability is great for sure, but stability doesn’t replace the need for working hospitals, good schools, higher salaries etc. What’s the point of having a stable leader if they are simultaneously taking the country down the gurgler.
With a good leader you should be able to have both: stability and functioning systems. Besides, it’s not the length of his tenure that is the problem per se. It’s the fact that he has failed to use that time to actually take the country to a better place. What a waste.
With Orban, many voters engage in the sunken cost fallacy — the tendency to continue investing resources (in this case votes) in a failing endeavor, even when it’s clear that doing so is no longer beneficial, simply because of past investments. Time to cut our losses, I say!
He's a nationalist
Orban has positioned himself as a defender of Hungary’s sovereignty against Western influence, emphasising national pride and Hungarian culture. There is nothing wrong with loving your country, and wanting it to remain true to its unique culture and heritage.
Orban and his party have been big on making it seem like only Fidesz could be patriotic. For the longest time (until Peter Magyar arrived) it was Fidesz that laid claim to the flag as its symbol, to palinka as its drink, to Hungarian football as its sport, to Hungary’s revolutionaries as its predecessors.
Orban’s famous line “A haza nem lehet ellenzékben,” which translates to “The homeland cannot be in opposition.” This line positions his Party as equivalent to the homeland and, so how could the “homeland” ever be the opposition party?
Orban plays into the creation of “us” against the world by playing up perceived threats (like the EU, George Soros, liberal forces) and if you take him at his word, then it’s natural to want him as the defender of the realm and turn a blind eye to any faults.
Ok, so what’s the problem?
No matter how hard he tries, Orban doesn’t own the country. People who don’t agree with him still love the country. In fact, I’d argue that people who steal from their people by definition do not love those people. Orban plays them for fools (which does not mean they are fools, rather he is an extremely clever scammer).
In the past, opposition parties have ceded Hungarian patriotism to Orban. It became kitsch to wave the flag or wear the cocade. But since Peter Magyar came onto the scene, he has grabbed these symbols right back. At his rallies, it is now a point of pride to wave the flag once more (see below).
Besides, Orban has not protected Hungary’s sovereignty. Rather, he’s simply replaced some of the Western influence with Russian and Chinese influence. Does this sound like a good idea to you? I’d rather Western influence over Russian/Chinese influence any day of the week.
He is a statesman
Many think that Orban’s confident and authoritative speaking style and his general gravitas makes him a statesman, and that other leaders like Peter Magyar are not up to that calibre.
Ok, so what’s the problem?
You can’t be a statesman and steal from the people you are meant to serve. You can’t be a statesman and let public services rot while your loved ones go from private jet to private island. Statesman are meant to be the “Fathers of the Nation” who put their country’s long-term success above all else – even their own ambition. Statesman are meant to decline any opportunity to grift — despite the opportunity to do so.
Orban might be good at giving a good speech but there’s no serious argument to be made that the country is in a better place because of him. And for that, he’ll never go down in history as statesman like Istvan Szechenyi — rather he’ll go down in history as a corrupt little thief.
He's opposed to immigration
Many Hungarians like that Orban is anti illegal immigration. He showed his bona fides during the 2015 Migrant Crisis when he was one of the few leaders talking about how illegal immigration was bad for Europe and that Hungary would not allow it. This is appealing to a domestic audience, as well as internationally in country’s where immigration is a problem.
Ok, so what’s the problem?
Although it’s true that Orban successfully prevented most illegal immigrants from staying in Hungary, the immigration data reveals a very different picture that many don’t know.
The data reveals that in 2023 there were more than 400,000 immigrants living in Hungary. Not for nothing, that’s not nothing. According to the Migration Policy Centre “the Hungarian government has been facilitating the settlement of guest workers, mostly from East-Asian countries such as South Korea, Vietnam, India, or the Philippines.” They’ve been facilitating this because Hungary’s birth rate is lower than it’s ever before, so immigration is needed to keep the economy going.
Report after report is now revealing that many of these East-Asian migrants are living in ghetto-style worker housing; that their presence for ultra low wages is suppressing Hungarian wages further; they they are taking jobs from Hungarians; and that thousands of such workers clumped in one area is changing the fabric of the small cities they live near.
If “anti-immigration” is your main reason for supporting Orban you should consider these facts as well.
He's a cultural conservative
Conservatives around the world have embraced Orban. They like that he is anti-gay marriage, anti-woke, anti the trans, and gender ideology, and anti illegal immigration.
They like that he positions himself as Christian and that he is for the “traditional” family unit. They like that his policies are aimed at increasing the birthrate among Hungarians, and keeping Hungary for Hungarians.
Ok, so what’s the problem?
The problem with being holier-than-thou is that the people professing their high ideals can rarely live up to them. Take a look at this shit-show:
- Orban-appointed President Katalin Novak gave clemency to someone who protected a pedophile — just a reminder that the victim of that pedophile lived in a government care home and threw himself in front of train as literally no one on this Earth protected him
- Orban-appointed Justice Minister Judit Varga co-signed the above clemency
- Jozsef Szajer — a founding member of Fidesz — who was responsible for drafting constitutional changes defining marriage as being between a man and woman — was caught in a 25-man orgy in Belgium
- A priest called Gergo Bese, who was hugely vocal in his support for Fidesz’s homophobic remarks was revealed as gay because he was spotted in gay porn
You just can’t make this stuff up.
That’s not all. Although Orban claims his government is family first, the fact is fewer babies are born in Hungary now than ever before. If he was truly creating a family friendly environment, surely birth rates would rise? But do you know what families actually need? Better hospitals, better schools, higher pay… not rhetoric. And Orban is all talk no action.
He's anti-elite
Orban positions himself as anti-elite by making boogeymen out of the EU, Soros, Ursula von der Leyen, “globalists” and liberals in general. People like that he seems like a down-to-earth man of the people who will defend Hungary against shady forces that will force Hungary to make decisions that don’t align with its national interests.
Ok, so what’s the problem?
The truth? Orban, his college dorm mates, his oligarchs and his family are the elite in Hungary. The Fidesz Party has taken control of the state media, they have spent government funds on creating a propaganda machine, they are trying to take over the legal system, his mates own many of the banks, his partner in crime even ran the Hungarian National Bank, his loyalists win many of the government tenders and get most of the opportunities. In the context of Hungary, you don’t get much more elite than the Orban mob.
In terms of the Western elite, Hungary is just replacing one sphere of influence with an Eastern one. And, he pokes fun at the West while relying on EU money (Hungary is broke without it) and the protection of NATO.
Mouthing off at the West is one thing, but the fact of the matter is a large majority of Hungarians want to keep their allegiance to the West. And when Hungarians leave Hungary for greener pastures they go to Berlin or Manchester – not Novosibirsk or Guangzhou.
He's a hero on the global stage
Many like Orban’s connection to Trump and Putin. They like that Trump mentioned Orban twice in the Presidential debate and that Orban hangs out with the Trumps at Mar-a-Lago. They like that someone like Tucker Carlson interviews Orban and that conservative podcasters mention his name. Supporters glow with pride that Orban is in the headlines on The Guardian and The New York Times. They think all this makes Hungary important.
Ok, so what’s the problem?
No, this is a mirage. Orban hasn’t elevated Hungary’s importance. Hungary is no more important than it ever was. And Hungarians shouldn’t fall in the trap of worshipping false idols.
What should make Hungarians feel proud is if it were not one of the poorest and most corrupt in the EU. If our educated doctors weren’t leaving in droves. If the inflation wasn’t some of the highest in Europe. If Hungary actually had its own money and wasn’t relying from EU handouts. That would really be something.
Other articles you might like...
10 things I hate about you
Hate is a very strong word but it simply means “intense dislike for” and Viktor Orban brings out the “intense dislike” in me…and believe me he deserves it.
9 signals that Orban is in trouble
In 2024 and 2025, many signs indicate that Fidesz is in big trouble. Whether it comes true at the elections – time will tell – but for now here are some of the signals that don’t look good for Orban.
2024 was Orban’s annus horribilis
Queen Elizabeth II called 1992 her annus horribilis. Here’s why Orban may feel the same way about 2024.