"This Victory Is Important For Belarus As Well

The tandem of Orban and Fitzo is over.

How will the victory in Hungary of opposition politician Peter Magyar change our region?

That's what the website Charter97.org talked to Slovak political scientist and president of the Institute of Social Problems (IVO, Bratislava) Grigory Mesežnikov:

- The results of the election in Hungary will affect many things: our region, relations between individual states, and Hungary's relations with the European Union. I think that Hungary's attitude towards Russian aggression against Ukraine will change. Although, maybe, it will not be so fast and expressive, but the changes will take place. First of all, the positions of authoritarian forces in our region, including those in power, will be weakened.

It is also important for Belarus, because Viktor Orban has gravitated towards restoring relations with the Belarusian dictator. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjártó has often appeared in Minsk.

I would like to emphasize that it is very important that democratic forces in Hungary were still able to consolidate their positions and eventually defeat the authoritarian forces. Magyar's statements already suggest that Hungary's relations with the EU will improve. Hungary will stop blocking aid to Ukraine and will try to stick to a common European line on many other issues.

It is worth noting that it will still take some time to actually bring about real change, to convince the Hungarian population that Orbán's policies were harmful to Hungary itself. Maybe it won't happen that quickly, Hungary won't be the locomotive that Slovakia was in the days of Eduard Heger. Hungary will be within such a European mainstream, will not cause problems. This is also very important, including for Belarus, because Viktor Orban supported Lukashenko on the Russian side.

As for the Central European region, the whole configuration that was in the Visegrad Group has really paralyzed it. Because the Visegrad Group has a special significance when the positions of all the states coincide with the pan-European positions.

Viktor Orban and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo have been smashing this cooperation. Magyar says that he would like to resuscitate the Visegrad Group, but already on the principles of common interests, not contradicting the interests of the European Union and European politics.

- How will Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fitzo act after the defeat of his friend Orban?

- In the last few years (after 2023), when Fitzo returned to power, it was such a Slovak-Hungarian tandem to weaken pan-European positions on key issues of European politics. Including - in relation to Russia, Ukraine and energy policy. Incidentally, in EU-US relations too, because Orban has been a big enthusiast of strengthening the partnership with Donald Trump. Less with America per se, but specifically with Donald Trump, and Fitzo joined in that too.

Now that tandem has come to an end, although Robert Fitzo has claimed that even if Orban loses the election, he will take over the baton from him. But in fact, of course, this is a stupid position, it is hardly possible, because Slovakia itself is not capable of blocking pan-European decisions.

I think that if indeed Fitzo will fulfill this promise of his, the EU will find very quickly levers to overcome his opposition. So there will certainly be a positive impact.

With regard to Slovakia, the specific question is how Slovak-Hungarian relations will develop, because they have recently developed on the basis of personal cooperation, friendship between Orban and Fitzo. By the way, Fitzo is a nationalist politician who has always used the so-called anti-Hungarian card in domestic politics. It consists in the fact that we have somewhere around 10% of the population are ethnic Hungarians, and, of course, their votes in elections are extremely important.

Part of Slovakia, unfortunately, is subject to anti-Hungarian sentiments, so on the wave of nationalism it is easy to get additional political points. So, I think that now Fitzo, as soon as Orban goes into opposition, will start playing this anti-Hungarian card in domestic politics.

- Could the changes in Hungary give impetus to a change of power in Slovakia in next year's elections?

- We will have elections in October 2027. But ultimately, I think Orban's defeat will affect the general mood in Slovakia in the sense that Fitzo's opponents, who are supported by the opposition parties, will be strengthened. They have a majority in all polls now.

What is happening in Hungary will strengthen the perception that we too can defeat authoritarian forces in our country. If Hungarians were able to defeat these forces after 16 years of consolidated authoritarian policy, then in Slovakia, as they say, it is God's will. But I am exaggerating a bit. We have a slightly different situation.

Hungary had a single opposition democratic party, while we have several. But we have more experience in forming coalitions of democratic parties, so I think we will use it. As for the fight for freedom, democracy, European choice, support for Ukraine and criticism of Russia, all opposition parties of Slovakia are in agreement in this.

They have ideological differences, but the main thing now is to preserve freedom, democracy and European choice. I think that for them, of course, it will be a great political help, which Hungary managed to do. By the way, Hungary will now be passing laws that will allow them to overcome the legacy of Viktor Orban more quickly.

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