In an interview for the website patriota.hu, Orbán stated that the governing Fidesz party suffered a clear defeat. When asked by the moderator who is responsible for the electoral defeat, Orbán unequivocally answered that he was.
“I am the chairman of the party. I thank all our members, activists and volunteers. They worked well and have no responsibility. But the policy is such that there is one person who is responsible for the result, because he must bring that result, and that is the chairman of the party. So I take responsibility 100 percent,” said Orbán.
“2.3 million people voted for us and the other party got 3.1 million votes,” he said. Orbán admitted that he felt something was wrong when the first results came in on Sunday. “We saw that our campaign did not work. The turnout was much higher than we expected. All that was extra were votes against us, they were protest votes,” he added.
The head of the Hungarian government admitted that during his sixteen-year rule, he mainly regrets the slow completion of the Paks 2 nuclear power plant. “We should have done it much earlier. The Hungarian economy would now be in a better situation. That was a failure of the government,” he added. Paks 2 is built by the Russian company Rosatom.
The right must change
Orbán admitted that the Hungarian right is now in such a situation that it cannot continue in its current form. “One political period of the Hungarian right has come to an end, and we cannot continue politics as before. We need a renewal,” he said.
“Fidesz must also be renewed,” he emphasized. Orbán admitted that the conspicuous enrichment of oligarchs linked to Fidesz also damaged the party in the elections.
According to Orbán, Fidesz voters are now worried about their homeland. “I agree with them. I see the challenges we face,” he said.
