Rightwingers of the world unite to endorse Orbán ahead of Hungary’s election

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban looks up as he holds his annual press conference in the Carmelita monastery, the office of the Hungarian premier, in Budapest, Hungary, on December 21, 2024. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

Hard-right and populist leaders from across the globe have appeared in an online video endorsing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán ahead of an election that polls suggest could end his long premiership.

The campaign video, published by Orbán this week, shows 11 national leaders and hard-right figureheads – including France’s Marine Le Pen, Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Argentina’s Javier Milei – endorsing the Hungarian leader’s bid for a fifth consecutive term in office. The American actor Rob Schneider also lent his support.

Orbán, who returned to power in 2010 and is Europe’s longest-serving prime minister, has become a lodestar for European populists and the MAGA movement in the United States. Championing national sovereignty, traditional values and hard borders, Orbán has long railed against the European Union, without seeking to leave it.

But while Orbán still commands affection abroad, he is facing a growing backlash at home. Over 16 years in office, his Fidesz party has been criticized for presiding over Hungary’s democratic backsliding, economic stagnation and curbs on press freedom.

Leading the charge against Orbán is Péter Magyar, a former Fidesz loyalist-turned-arch-rival. Magyar’s Tisza party has led Fidesz in the polls for more than a year, campaigning mostly against what it says is government corruption, and promising to boost Hungary’s economy.

Facing his first credible challenger in years, Orbán has tried to paint Magyar as a political novice and seems to have called on his ideological allies to rally to his defense ahead of parliamentary elections on April 12.

“Security cannot be taken for granted. It must be won,” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in the campaign video. “I think Victor Orbán has all those qualities. He has the tenacity, the courage, the wisdom to protect his country.”

French far-right leader Marine Le Pen said Orbán was responsible for “the camp of patriots, and defenders of nations and sovereign peoples,” for achieving “ever greater success in Europe.” Le Pen was convicted last year for embezzling EU funds and received a five-year ban on running for political office, which would disqualify her from the French presidential election next year. She is appealing the decision.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said she and Orbán are partners in a political project: “Together, we stand for a Europe that respects national sovereignty, (and) is proud of its cultural and religious roots.” Orbán’s Central European allies – including Czech President Andrej Babiš and former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki – also voiced their support.

The video also included several references to Russia’s war in Ukraine, with which Hungary shares a border. Orbán, who met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow in November, has repeatedly obstructed EU efforts to fund Ukraine’s defense. On Thursday, he said he would launch a “national petition” seeking backing for his policy of rejecting the EU’s latest financial support package for Ukraine.

“He is fighting for peace in Ukraine, and for peace in Europe,” Alice Weidel, the co-leader of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, said in the video. “Europe needs Viktor Orbán.”

No US officials featured in the video, although Schneider, the actor, said he wanted to “encourage all Hungarians to continue to move forward to protect your great culture and your amazing country” by voting for Orbán. Despite not featuring in the video, US President Donald Trump did write Orbán a letter in December wishing him “the best of luck” with his electoral campaign.

During a visit to Washington in November, Orbán secured a one-year exemption from US sanctions on Russian oil. Despite having more than three years to do so, Trump – who praised Orbán as a “great leader” of a “great country” – said it had been “difficult” for Hungary to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels, since it is landlocked.

Analysts told CNN this explanation was facile. The Czech Republic, another landlocked country, stopped buying Russian oil after the invasion of Ukraine, while Hungary chose to deepen its dependence on Russia. Last year, Russia accounted for more than 90% of Hungary’s crude oil imports – up from 61% pre-invasion, according to a report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

By Christian Edwards