By Gergely Szakacs
BUDAPEST, April 16 (Reuters) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s defeat in the elections on Sunday has prompted calls from some of his loyalists for the conservative leader to bow out of politics, the first such open criticism since he came to power in 2010.
Orban quickly conceded the ballot on Sunday after his rival, the centre-right Peter Magyar, unexpectedly secured a constitutional majority, which could give him the chance to overhaul Orban’s contested rule of law reforms.
While the beleaguered leader has said little so far about his future plans, any signs of departure from his nationalist Fidesz party would likely reshape Hungarian politics. Orban will give up his premiership to Magyar next month.
Orban’s office did not respond to an interview request.
NEW FACES IN NATIONAL POLITICS
The election results have rattled the party ahead of an April 28 caucus, where Fidesz will seek to learn lessons from its stinging defeat, according to Andras Cser-Palkovics, Fidesz mayor of Orban’s native Szekesfehervar.
“I think (Orban) does not have to resign at the moment,” he told YouTube channel Partizan late on Wednesday.
“He should wait for the national caucus and then start assessing (the election result). Then we should have a leadership election soon in any case,” he said, adding this was likely due in late summer or early autumn.
Cser-Palkovics’ comments laid bare a painful dilemma facing Fidesz: what’s next for a towering figure of Hungarian politics, who helped his party sweep the previous four elections, but appears to have missed a generational shift in the electorate.
“We should have new faces in national politics. I think we need an entirely new presidency,” Cser-Palkovics said, adding it was unclear who the best pick would be to lead Fidesz into the next election.
Other Fidesz members, however, such as Janos Pocs, lined up behind Orban, saying in an interview with news site 24.hu that he was the best man to revive Fidesz and anchor a party still backed by some 2.4 million voters.
FIDESZ NEEDS TO ENGAGE YOUNGER VOTERS
Zoltan Novak, an analyst at the Centre for Fair Political Analysis, noted two key factors for determining Orban’s fate — faith in his ability to revive Fidesz, and the potential toll former ally Magyar’s anti-graft drive takes on his party.
Young people in particular were keen for change, surveys before the election showed, with Orban’s Fidesz backed mainly by elderly voters, likely storing up more risk for the years ahead.
“Whether Fidesz is able to engage voters below 65 will be decisive in the next four years,” Novak said. “If it cannot expand to younger voter groups, its fate will be sealed.”
Magyar’s pledge to impose term limits on prime ministers, potentially ruling out Orban from returning to power, could also complicate the process.
The fact that Magyar’s Tisza, launched just two years ago, defeated Orban by such a wide margin was a “huge slap in the face” for Fidesz, said Orsolya Raczova, an analyst at think tank Eurasia Group, explaining public criticism of Orban.
“I do not think Orban would want to leave for the time being, but he will need to shore up his legitimacy if he wants to stay on,” she said. “I do not think Fidesz is finished, but it definitely needs a rethink and a strategic change.”
(Reporting by Gergely Szakacs; Editing by Janane Venkatraman)
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