Hungary: what's the plan, Mr Orbán?
The ousted Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has resigned his parliamentary seat. He says he wants to focus on "reshaping the nationalist movement" and will continue to lead the Fidesz party. His successor Péter Magyar, however, has warned that a "mafia" that had formed around Orbán is now planning to flee the country, taking their billions with them.
No desire to become a target
Hvg explains Orbán's reasoning:
“Anyone familiar with his mindset can say with certainty that he has not abandoned his ambitions for power. He has simply weighed up the facts: as a member of Fidesz's 52-member mini-group he can make no significant impact on the legislative work. ... And he would hardly relish being constantly exposed to the risk of the ruling party's speakers directing their criticism at him in parliament. He's been through this before and knows what it's like to be a target as an opposition MP.”
Full exit more fitting
Orbán refuses to admit that he only has himself to blame, Népszava writes:
“He has taken on the task of re-organising the right, even though it would have been more fitting for him to just exit the stage completely. He has suffered an unusually crushing defeat, quite simply because he made one mistake after the next. And no matter how hard he tries to shift the blame for this failure onto others, in reality it all lies squarely on his shoulders.”
Collapse of an empire
Fidesz is in tatters, Forum24 observes:
“Orbán's system, which for years seemed eternal, now resembles a fortress from which the elites are fleeing via the side doors. ... If they manage to get their fortunes across the border, if more than half of the parliamentary group heads for the hills and the state media starts reporting that the regime is falling apart – then it won't just be the end of an era. It will be the collapse of an empire.”
Good reason to leave the country
Der Standard sees the former PM already in exile:
“The restoration of the independence of the Hungarian justice system could quickly reveal the sources and dimensions of the wealth accumulated by Orbán's family and friends. Some commentators are asking whether Orbán will even come back from his planned holiday in the US this summer. After his election defeat twenty years ago, he laid the groundwork for his triumph of 2010 by building a new opposition movement. But going by the moral and economic ruins he is leaving behind this time, a flight from responsibility seems like a more realistic option than aspiring to govern again.”