Orban uses energy dispute with Ukraine as a PR tool ahead of parliamentary elections
Kyiv • UNN
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban escalated the conflict with Ukraine ahead of the elections to boost his ratings. He called the suspension of oil transit an attack on the country.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has placed the conflict with Kyiv at the center of his election campaign, attempting to halt a decline in ratings due to accusations against Ukraine. Amidst the approaching April 12 elections, where his Fidesz party significantly lags behind the opposition, the politician resorted to harsh rhetoric, calling the suspension of oil transit through the Druzhba pipeline an attack on the country. This is reported by WSJ, writes UNN.
Details
Orbán openly uses the threat of an energy crisis to mobilize voters, threatening to block 90 billion euros in EU aid for Ukraine and further sanctions against Russia.
Politicization of technical pipeline problems for ratings
Despite the fact that oil supply disruptions are caused by a Russian drone hitting the Ukrainian section of the pipeline, the Hungarian prime minister ignores the technical side of the issue, turning it into a political show.
He accused Ukraine of delaying repairs for political reasons and stated that Kyiv was allegedly trying to drag Hungary into the war. Analysts view the convening of the Defense Council and the deployment of troops around power plants as an element of Orbán's political toolkit, aimed at instilling fear and portraying himself as the sole defender of the nation.
Opposition accuses prime minister of inciting panic as an election stunt
Orbán's main opponent, Tisza party leader Péter Magyar, directly called the head of government's actions a "pre-planned election stunt" to manipulate public opinion.
The opposition emphasizes that instead of solving economic problems and fighting corruption, which has led to a decrease in investment in the country, the prime minister is creating an artificial image of an external enemy.
Currently, Orbán's party is trailing Magyar's force by 20 percentage points, forcing the current head of government to radicalize his anti-Ukrainian stance as much as possible to retain power.