Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán unveiled a new alliance with Austrian and Czech opposition parties, AP News reported.
On 1 July, Hungary will assume the rotating presidency of the European Union for six months under the prime minister’s leadership. On the eve, Orbán went to Vienna to present the Patriots for Europe alliance of his Fidesz Party with Austrian Herbert Kickl’s Freedom Party and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš’s ANO party, seeking to break out of isolation in the European Union and bring to his side right-wing groups counting on growing voter support. Orbán told reporters in Vienna on Sunday:
We are creating a political formation that will forge ahead and soon become Europe’s largest right-wing group.
The Austrian Freedom Party was a member of the Identity and Democracy group led by the French Rassemblement Nationale. The Freedom Party came first in the European Parliament elections and expects to win Austria’s national elections on 29 September. At the same time, the ANO Party is leaving the liberal Renew faction to join Orbán.
In early June, the European Parliament elections generally strengthened far-right parties, although their performances differed from country to country, but it remains unclear to what extent they will be able to work together. Recent polls have predicted a surge and victory for the opposition in French legislative elections on Sunday.
What Europeans want is three things: peace, order and development. And what they are getting from the elite in Brussels today is war, migration and stagnation. Our objective is, and we believe that this will happen, that in a short time, this will be the strongest right-wing group in the European Parliament, Orban said at Sunday’s event.
The three parties joining forces on Sunday will initially have the minimum 23 seats needed to formally establish a separate faction in the European Parliament. But they will also need to include MPs from at least seven member states to be recognised. Despite, the group promises to limit the European Union’s influence and return more power to member states, as well as fight immigration.
