There’s an uncomfortable truth.
If you live outside of Hungary, there’s a 90% chance you’re a Fidesz voter, yet if you live inside of Hungary polls show Fidesz’s support has dropped to about 40%.
That’s a big gap in how Fidesz is perceived but an even bigger irony: Orbán fans abroad love him, but won’t live under him.
Orbán has quite a cult following globally. Many would love his immigration policies in their own countries. They like that he sticks it to the EU because they’d love to stick it to The Establishment in their own countries. They like that he’s taking Russia’s side and making fun of Zelensky because conservatives seem to look up to Putin while Zelensky rubs them up the wrong way. They like that Orbán’s a family-first, Christian who never pandered to gender and woke ideology. And that he puts Hungary on the global stage…even on the Presidential debate stage. Hungarians have loved Orbán since that iconic speech in 1989.
But here’s the kicker: Many of those who love Orbán the most abroad, wouldn’t be caught dead actually moving to Orbán’s Hungary.
I’ve had the opportunity to ask some, because I myself returned to live in Australia after nine years in Budapest. When you ask, “If you truly think Orbán’s done such a good job, why don’t you move back?”
I get an incredulous look…like they would never. You can almost hear them thinking:
“I would never work for such low pay!”
“I would never want to end up in a Hungarian hospital!”
{Not like those schmucks in Hungary.}
“Why would I leave the good life Australia / Canada / the US to go there!?!”
“I’d only move back for retirement when I can live off my Western pension…”
Yet when you ask how they plan to vote, they say “Fidesz” without a second thought.
I can empathise...
You might think I’m being harsh. But I do empathise because I too have blindly voted for Fidesz, assuming I was doing the right thing. I voted for Fidesz when I first moved to Hungary in 2014. I just believed all the good things I’d heard about him from afar. Sadly, within my first 12 months of living there the scales came off my eyes and I couldn’t fathom how Orbán was so popular.
I can understand why those who live afar vote for Fidesz, and also why those who live in the West don’t move (back) to Hungary.
- Average after-tax salaries are HUF 430,100 (approximately €1,099)
- Many of the jobs at big international companies are of the “digital sweatshop” variety – service centres for the West
- Orbán seems to be dancing closer and closer to a Huxit and Russia – which didn’t work out so well for Hungary the last time Russia lorded over us
- Many of the medical clinics and hospitals look like Pripyat after Chernobyl
Don’t take my word for it – hundreds of thousands of Hungarians have left Hungary in the past 15 years mainly for better pay and conditions. I myself sadly left because I just couldn’t make peace with some of the above challenges.
So, should you vote?
It’s your right to vote but you should think hard about whether to vote for Fidesz. If you balk at the notion of living in Hungary – be honest, and ask yourself why. The honest truth is probably that, in your heart of hearts, you know that he hasn’t done a good enough job of governing for you and your family to want to move there.
Essentially, don’t vote for a party you wouldn’t want running your own country’s economy, infrastructure, healthcare, or education systems. When it’s not your tax money being stolen and it’s not the services you use that are crumbling it’s easy to be aloof and vote for Fidesz. But your vote has a real-world impact.
That’s why, I respectfully ask that you use your vote to help the Hungarians who have stuck it out in Hungary. Abstain or vote Tisza. Tisza offers hope of building a country worth moving to – Tisza has committed to ending corruption and focusing on back-to-basics: healthcare, education and infrastructure, all while retaining Fidesz’s popular immigration policy.
Even better — move to Hungary and help build the country. As they say in Hungarian, “munka van!”
Personally, I’ve now moved back to Australia but I will definitely vote for Tisza. I spent enough time living in Orbán’s Hungary to know what it’s like, and I continue to pay taxes there on rental income on my apartment.
Are Hungarians annoyed about diaspora voters?
Some are, yes. Many Hungarians who live in Hungary ask, if Orbán’s Hungary isn’t good enough for you, why would you vote for him and leave us to pay the price?
I’ve seen an increasing number of angry comments on Facebook where Hungarians question why someone not living in Hungary, not paying taxes there should get a say in their lives.
It’s a fair argument.
Voting when you live abroad is even worse if you don’t keep abreast of Hungarian news – or only consume government propaganda like Duna TV. I recently met a Hungarian man in a Melbourne café who didn’t even know the Hungarian word for “voting” and couldn’t pronounce Orbán’s name correctly, yet he confidently said he planned to vote for Or-ban!!
What impact could your vote have?
The electoral system in Hungary is a little confusing, but diaspora votes (from those who don’t have a Hungarian residency address) only contribute to national party-list totals. In a very close election (and this could be a very close election), diaspora voters mathematically contribute about one seat.
Sneakily, Fidesz has changed election rules so that dual citizens (who are more likely to vote for Fidesz and have not lived in Hungary for a long time – or ever) can mail in their ballot, while Hungarian-only citizens (who typically left more recently, never cancelled their lakcím address card, and typically vote for the opposition) have to visit an embassy or consulate – making it harder for opposition voters abroad to vote.
Kudos to those who have moved back
I’d like to acknowledge those who have moved back. They have really put some serious skin in the game. They are helping to build Hungary, when they could be living potentially “easier” lives elsewhere. They deserve a special thanks from all Hungarians. It’s one thing to live in Hungary when you were born and raised there, it’s really something else to choose it above your hometown.
The bottom line
If you wouldn’t live in Orbán’s Hungary, you should consider abstaining or voting for Tisza. A Tisza government promises to put Hungary on a better path by focusing on healthcare, education, infrastructure, a return to the West, and bringing EU money home. They will stamp out corruption and ensure the courts and relevant bodies can investigate the theft and dirty deals that have taken place. Tisza also commits to continuing Fidesz’s popular immigration policy, including retaining the southern border fence.
My hope is that – in the decades to come – Hungary could close the gap with the West and it could become a country that people like you or I would choose to make a life in.
Other articles you might like...
Fidesz’s unforced errors could cost it the match
Fidesz has dominated Hungarian politics for decades, but now its unforced errors are piling up and it might cost it the 2026 election.
What if the unthinkable happens, and Fidesz wins?
If Fidesz wins the 2026 election they will be arrogant beyond belief, but there could be a silver lining.
All the ways the deck is stacked in Fidesz’s favour
Although Tisza has a groundswell of support, the deck is stacked in Fidesz’s favour. Here’s why Tisza supporters need to fight like hell