Update: 05/05/2024 21:45
Issued by: 05/05/2024, 21:45
Budapest – Thousands of Hungarians protested against Prime Minister Viktor Orbán today in Debrecen, Eastern Hungary. The demonstration was called by former prime minister’s ally and current opposition representative Péter Magyar, whom some observers consider to be the first serious threat to Orbán in recent years, according to Reuters.
About 10,000 people gathered in Debrecen, which is a stronghold of the ruling Fidesz party. Magyar said in today’s speech that this is one of the biggest events in the region in recent years. He criticized Orbán’s government for making Hungary the second poorest and most corrupt country in the bloc after 20 years in the European Union.
“Where did the billions from the EU go?” asked Magyar five weeks before the European elections.
It is the first time in recent weeks that the 43-year-old lawyer has been able to call large protests. The government repeatedly blames them for widespread corruption and for having created a centralized propaganda machine around itself. Orbán’s associates deny the accusations.
Foreign observers say that Orbán directed support from the European Union to businessmen close to his party to consolidate his power, writes Reuters. On the contrary, the prime minister claims that Hungary is no more corrupt than other countries.
