2019 – with an eye on 2022
December 31st, 2019Looking back on the political events of 2019, commentators from the opposing sides of the political divide agree that the opposition represents a more serious challenge to the government than it did a year ago.
In 168 Óra, György Sebes compares and contrasts the crushing defeat the opposition parties suffered in the spring, in the European Parliamentary elections, to their significant conquests in the local elections in October. The EP elections are proportional, he explains, so Fidesz as a single, united party did not enjoy an a priori advantage over the scattered forces of the opposition. Nevertheless, the governing party got 13 seats in the European Parliament compared to the 8 mandates won by the combined opposition parties. In the autumn, by way of contrast, a much more united opposition won over 11 cities from Fidesz, turning it into an real challenger for the 2022 parliamentary elections, Sebes writes.
In Magyar Nemzet, Tamás Fricz also believes that the united opposition poses a real threat to the government. He warns that by 2022, another half million young Hungarians will be of voting age, who risk being won over by Momentum, the new liberal party which is already as popular as the Democratic Coalition. An important difference, he continues, is that DK’s constituency is old. Fricz finds it worrisome that most university students are liberal minded, although the young generation as a whole tends to be conservative and patriotic. He urges conservatives to find a patriotic message that can attract more young people to their ranks. Only in this way, the pro-government pundit writes, can Fidesz successfully face the challenge Momentum will represent in 2022.