Hungarian nationalism

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Sunday announced he wanted to form a new EU parliament alliance, together with Austria's far-right party and the Czech centrist group of ex-premier Andrej Babis.

He is a former close associate of the Hungarian government

Romanian politicians and Romania's Football Federation criticised the Hungarian Football Federation, MLSZ, for announcing on Tuesday that UEFA had decided that displaying the map of Greater Hungary on flags or banners at matches does not constitute a racist act, so Hungarian supporters will be able to use the symbol at official matches.

"We can never give up on the Hungarians living there and our abducted territories," he tells BIRN, advocating a stealthy approach, "just gently, carefully, diplomatically, step by step", for a revanchist policy that would, if put in practice, represent a major geopolitical shock in Eastern Europe.

Party leader Laszlo Toroczkai has called the rise of Our Homeland, from its founding four years ago to a party in parliament, "a miracle, but only the beginning."

"We want to save Hungary and restore its former glory," he said on the eve of the election.

It's the kind of glory, however, that makes many shiver.

Marki-Zay blamed government propaganda on the dominant state-run media channels for the defeat of the opposition. Orban's ruling Fidesz party argued during the campaign that the opposition would send young Hungarians to die for Ukraine and this seemed to have a huge effect on mostly undecided voters.

Peter Marki-Zay, the conservative mayor of Hodmezovasarhely and leader of the joint opposition. Photo: Facebook

Supporters of Jobbik at an event to mark the 62nd anniversary of the 1956 uprising against communist rule and the Soviet Union in Budapest, Hungary, 23 October 2018. EPA-EFE/Balazs Mohai New European face

Hungary survived the spring wave of the virus virtually unscathed, with very low casualties, though at a high economic price. Polls in the summer showed that Fidesz actually increased its support by 5 per cent, or 400,000 voters. However, it all fell apart in the autumn, when voters found the government's response to the second, more serious wave wonting.

The presidents of the opposition parties - including the liberal Democratic Coalition, the Socialists, the young emerging Momentum, the leftist-liberal Dialogue, the greenish LMP and the former radical rightist Jobbik - have agreed to nominate only one candidate in each of the 106 individual constituencies.