"Hungary is no stranger to extremely polarized election campaigns. For decades now, Victor Orban has whether in government or in the opposition followed the same playbook: Starting months ahead of the polls, he has run campaigns that suggest the very survival of the Hungarian nation is at stake. In these campaigns, he styles himself as the only one who can save Hungary and its people from evil and the threat of destruction at the hands of the country's enemies."
"These videos all have one thing in common: They spread nonsense and fabrications. The prime minister and his team are essentially claiming that if Orban loses the election, the country will face war, mobilization on the Ukrainian front, and enslavement and mass impoverishment as a result of tax increases from Brussels. In view of this particularly extreme campaign, Gabor Torok, an otherwise sober political scientist, has already spoken of the "decline and fall" of political culture."
Hungary will elect a new parliament on April 12. Viktor Orban has long run campaigns portraying national survival as threatened and presenting himself as the sole protector. The current campaign is especially negative, featuring thousands of anti‑Ukrainian posters, a taxpayer‑funded "national petition" against the EU and Ukraine, and AI‑generated fake videos targeting the opposition. Campaign messaging warns that an Orban defeat would bring war, mobilization on the Ukrainian front, and mass impoverishment from Brussels‑driven tax increases. Political scientist Gabor Torok called the conduct a "decline and fall" of political culture. Opposition leader Peter Magyar’s Tisza party leads in polls, making Orban’s defeat possible.
Read at www.dw.com
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