Anti-Migration Hungary PM Scores Landslide WIn

Orban claimed George Soros was part of conspiracy
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 9, 2018 12:40 AM CDT
Hungary PM Scores Massive Win After Anti-Migrant Campaign
People queue to cast their vote at a polling station, after the official closing time, during general elections in central Budapest, Hungary, Sunday, April 8, 2018.   (Balazs Mohai/MTI via AP)

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban says his "decisive" re-election victory and the super majority in parliament his right-wing populist party appeared to have won Sunday are "an opportunity to defend Hungary." Critics said they feared Orban will use his third consecutive term and the Fidesz party's two-thirds control of Hungary's national legislature to intensify his attacks on migration and to strengthen his command of the country's centralized power structure, the AP reports. Hungary's remaining independent media, the courts that have made numerous rulings the government did not like, and a university founded by Hungarian-American billionaire George Soros, also are among Orban's likely targets.

Orban campaigned heavily on his unyielding anti-migration policies. He repeated his theory of a conspiracy between the opposition and the UN, the EU, and Soros to turn Hungary into an "immigrant country," threatening its security and Christian identity. "We created the opportunity for ourselves to defend Hungary," Orban told supporters after his landslide win became indisputable. "A great battle is behind us. We have achieved a decisive victory." With 98.5% of the votes counted, Fidesz and its small ally, the Christian Democrat party, together had secured 133 of the 199 seats in parliament, the minimum needed for a two-thirds majority. The right-wing nationalist Jobbik party placed second with 26 seats, while a Socialist-led, left-wing coalition came in third with 20 seats.

(More Viktor Orban stories.)

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