Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Speech in Mór, 21 May 2014

First of all, I would like to wish everyone good afternoon. Thank you for having come here from Mór and from the surrounding settlements. There are several reasons for my having come here today. The first is that it has been a long time since I have been to Mór. Life is not always organised fairly, because one has to go to where there is trouble; there is no need for the presence of a Prime Minister in places where issues are solved of their own accord, and so it is usually the settlements that are our staunchest supporters that one visits least often. And this is what has happened in the case of Mór, because Mór is a very faithful city and has always stood behind us, and is it also true that we have always stood by Mór, and so the civil, national and Christian political forces have always been able to count on the unwavering support of Mór and the surrounding settlements. I would like to thank you for this. I was last here 12 years ago, and so I would like to thank you for the 12 years we have left behind us. Of course, when people win they usually remember the fact that they were victorious and thank each other for not having tripped up at the very last moment and for having voted for the right people, but I would now like to remind you that we endured eight difficult years prior to 2010. And I would also like to thank the people of Mór for having stood by the civil, national and Christian forces even during those difficult times when things weren't going too well and the majority of people turned to others, and so I thank you once again. I would also like to thank you for the support you have shown me personally. I know that people usually think, and quite rightly, that a Prime Minister is made of iron. But the truth is that a Prime Minister isn't made of iron; he is human. And although he may behave as if he were made out of iron the truth is that even he is sometimes subject to attacks that are painful; I don't like it either if my work isn't recognised. It hurts me too if I am criticised and attacked for things I don't deserve, and I too am happy for every word of encouragement, for every acknowledgement and for every prayer. I know that many people pray for my family and for me, and I need all of this support, and so I would like to thank you personally for having supported not just our political camp but also me personally during our most difficult times. I needed it, it felt good, and I would ask that you continue to support not just our politics, but also me personally in future. This is something I require for my work.

The second reason I have come here today is that although everyone has had enough of political campaigns by now, because we have been doing nothing except campaigning for months now and have achieved a fantastic result, and now here I am again to tell you that this is all well and good, but there will be elections again on Sunday. I am a little embarrassed, but this is how things stand. And the fact is that if we pass on this opportunity to our opponents then it will devalue the success that we achieved in April. And so, although I know that everyone's mind is on the summer, I must ask you all to get up and go out to vote this Sunday on 25 May and to take your friends with you. At times like this I always say that our fate is in the hands of our women. We are expecting a relatively low turnout and it is the women who can take their families out to vote. And another thing I often say at such times is that a female British Prime Minister once said that if you want people to talk about something a lot then entrust it to a man, but if you want it done, then ask a woman to do it. Well, I would like to entrust this task to the ladies, and ask that they take their families out to vote sometime around their Sunday family lunch, because otherwise the turnout will be low. And if our opponents go out to vote with a low turnout on our part then it might even seem as if we have lost some of our support during these past few weeks. And this could affect our work during the next four years. Summa summarum, it is also for reasons related to internal politics that I ask you to go out and vote this Sunday.

But there is also another reason that I ask this of you. We may decide on issues here in Hungary according to our own procedures and interests, but we have learned over the past years that many things can be delayed and blocked in Brussels. And it makes a huge difference whether the people working in Brussels and sitting in the European Parliament stand up for Hungary's interests or are instead the kind of people who do not stand up for Hungary and in fact not only don't stand up for Hungary, but try to use their influence in Brussels to damage the government and to damage the country; who dictate Tavares reports and who in general question Hungary's achievements. We must not send people like this to the European Union, because they can cause us a lot of trouble from there. And so I would like to ask that you send honest and decent Hungarian people to work at Europe's institutions in Brussels and Strasbourg. And what I can tell you is that the list of candidates from Fidesz and the Christian Democratic People's Party is made up of people of this kind. Highly qualified and competent people who are capable of standing up for Hungarian interests and who we will need in Brussels. And so the second reason why I ask that you go out and vote on Sunday is to ensure that suitable people go out to Brussels who can provide us with assistance instead of acting as an obstacle.

And I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that there are two political trains of thought that we should not honour with our support. The first are those who say that Hungary should be part of some kind of Unites States of Europe. This is an extremist way of thinking that to all intents and purposes would give up Hungary's own opportunities for representation, the thousand-year-old statehood of Saint Stephen and everything that our great and great-great grandparents work hard to achieve and for which the Hungarian state was established at all. I think that the thousand-year-old Hungarian statehood should not be sacrificed on the altar of any kind of United States of Europe. Anyone who says so is an extremist in my view. This is a dangerous idea with regard to the Hungarians and so we must show them that we will under no account vote for them. And similarly, I would ask that you also show the same thing to the right, or rather the radical extremist right, who claim that what would be in the interests of the Hungarians would be to exit the European Union. That's not true! If there is anyone who has suffered a lot because of attacks from the European Union, then I can surely come forward to claim a prominent place on the podium. You too have seen how much we have had to fight there with all sorts of people with bulging arteries on their necks screaming in an otherwise very un-European way and slandering Hungary. And so if there is anyone who doesn't have too great an appetite for this European diet then you can certainly put me on the list. But even so, this is not a question of taste and it is not a personal issue but a question of common sense. And leading a country requires common sense; a cold head, a stiff upper lip, a courageous heart and sober decisions. And those who want to run our heads against the wall create only problems for the country. Those who say we should leave the European Union are speaking against the development of the Hungarian economy. Today, we can only develop the Hungarian economy if we are part of the European Union. Although it is perhaps only worth being part of the EU if we continue to have a strong national government here at home. Because if we are part of the EU while we have an internationalist government at home, that is the worst possible case scenario; as we experienced between 2004 and 2010. And so I would ask that you reject both the left-wing extremists and the right-wing, hard-headed, stubborn extremists and that you listen to your common sense: let us go to Brussels and represent the interests of Hungary. Hungarian history has taught us clearly that if we are not sitting there at the table then we should not be surprised to find ourselves on the menu. This is the situation. This is what happened to us on several occasions during the past one-hundred years of so. We must go there and we must be there to fight for our interests.

And finally, Ladies and Gentlemen, I would like to remind you of one other thing. There will also be local government elections this autumn. I'm not sure if you are aware, but we will be electing mayors and local government councils for a period of five years. For five years. This means that at the next parliamentary elections in 2018 the local government people elected this autumn will still be in office. And for this reason your decision will have an effect on the future of Bodajk and Mór, but it will also have a significant effect on the parliamentary elections due in 2018. We need a strong hinterland in the form of local governments with whom we can work together so that we can further the lives of the people who live there through cooperation between the government, the mayors and the local government councils that you elect into office this autumn. If there is no cooperation, there will be no development and no achievements, and things could take a turn for the worst in 2018. And so I would like to ask that following our second victory, which I hope we will achieve this Sunday on 15 May, you also prepare for the third. Hungarian justice comes in threes, as the saying goes; it's time for the second on 25 May. I ask you once again: go out to vote!

Go, Hungary! Go, Hungarians! We will be victorious!

(Prime Minister’s Office)