Hungary's parties brace for Sunday's general elections

Source: Xinhua| 2018-04-07 04:57:17|Editor: Yurou
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HUNGARY-SZEKESFEHERVAR-GENERAL ELECTIONS-VIKTOR ORBAN-CAMPAIGN-RALLY

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Rear) delivers a speech at the last rally of the Fidesz party ahead of the general elections in Szekesfehervar, central Hungary, on April 6, 2018. Hungarian political parties held their last rallies on Friday, ahead of Sunday's general elections, where the Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is seeking a third consecutive term, is considered the absolute favorite. (Xinhua/Attila Volgyi)

BUDAPEST, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian political parties held their last rallies on Friday, ahead of Sunday's general elections, where the Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is seeking a third consecutive term, is considered the absolute favorite.

Orban, who put the issue of mass migration and the defense of Hungary at the center of his campaign, told that those who wanted to preserve "Hungary a Hungarian country should cast their vote for Fidesz", which is his ruling party.

"A historic election is to come. We have only one country, no other. They want to take our country. They want us to support the migrants," he said in front of several thousands of people gathered before the City Hall in Szekesfehervar, central Hungary.

"We have to decide from two futures: one offered by the candidates of George Soros, the other by those of the Fidesz and the KDNP (the junior Christian-democrat coalition partner of Fidesz)," he added.

Since the mass migration crisis of 2015, Orban accuses the Hungarian-born American billionaire Soros of organizing mass migration.

Orban also said that it was "hazardous" to vote for anyone else but Fidesz, and that the voters would not only elect deputies for the Parliament, but would also chose a path for Hungary's safety and future.

The largest formation of the left, the MSZP-Parbeszed (Hungarian Socialist Party-Dialogue), held its final rally in Budapest. The Prime Minister candidate Gergely Karacsony said that Orban was afraid of only one single person: "the citizen wanting change."

Karacsony called upon people to vote for his party-list, as his was the only formation that set up a shadow-government and gave the voters a detailed election program.

"There is no other man with such power and who has abused of this power to such an extent, every value has been crushed, but I did not give up hope," he said.

Former Socialist prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsany, president of the left-liberal DK party (Democratic coalition), set up his campaign-closing event in Budapest.

"I hate the fact that Orban wants to make Hungary a monochrome country," he said. "For those who want to change, I say that we all have to go (to vote)."

He criticized the Orban government mainly for the lack of funds in the fields of healthcare and education, and also recalled that many people, mainly elderly could not live on their meager pensions.

Bernadett Szel, the only female candidate for Prime Minister, leader of the green-eco LMP party declared that the campaign had been gone under "no longer democratic conditions".

She also called for higher wages, and accused Fidesz of implementing a system of "slaves of salaries", and promised higher wages for workers.

The former radical Jobbik party that took a moderate turn a few years ago did not have a single closing event but its President Gabor Vona traveled to several cities in the course of the day.

In the city of Hajdunanas (East), Vona put the access of young people to home a top priority of his party.

"Our home-creation package is based on three pillars: a rental housing program, a scheme of state-subsidies to young families with children and the compensation of people indebted in foreign currency loans," he declared.

According to all polls, the only question of the election is the size of Orban's victory. If his party Fidesz and KDNP get at least 133 seats in the 199-seat Parliament, he would obtain a so-called qualified majority that would enable him to alter the Constitution. The majority of the polls nonetheless point to an absolute majority falling short of that.

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KEY WORDS: Hungary
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