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LAST UPDATE | 7 Apr
US VICE PRESIDENT JD Vance threw his support behind Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, ahead of this weekend’s fiercely fought parliamentary elections, accusing Brussels of “foreign election interference”.
Orbán – the EU leader with the closest ties to US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin – is facing an unprecedented challenge to his 16-year rule in Sunday’s vote.
Vance arrived today in the Hungarian capital Budapest to deliver a message of support from Trump to his ally, hailing Orbán as a “model” for Europe.
“I did want to send a signal to everybody, particularly the bureaucrats in Brussels,” he told reporters in a press conference alongside Orban, accusing Brussels of interfering “to hold down the people of Hungary”.
Vance is due to deliver a speech at a rally with Orbán later, focusing on “the rich partnership between the United States and Hungary,” according to a statement from his office.
“We’ll talk about any number of things related to the US-Hungary relationship,” Vance told reporters as he left Andrews Air Force Base near Washington on Monday night. “Obviously, I’m sure Europe and Ukraine and all the other stuff will figure in pretty prominently.”
US and Hungarian flags lined a bridge leading up to Orbán’s office in the Carmelite Monastery overlooking the Danube.
Vance’s visit follows that of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in mid-February, who wished his Hungarian ally “success” in the April 12 election, when Orbán faces the most serious challenge to his 16-year rule.
Security throughout the capital was tight with parking restrictions and bins removed along Vance’s expected route, with a heavy police presence and a tight cordon around Orbán’s office, the venue for a joint press conference later.
The 41-year-old conservative’s visit is a show of support for Orbán in the final stretch before Sunday’s elections.
Vance is one of the US administration’s fiercest critics of centrist and progressive European governments and one of the most fervent supporters of far-right parties in Europe.
Orbán said he had discussed the “major issues facing Western civilisation” with Vance, such as “migration, gender ideology, family policy, and global security”.
He also slammed the “unusually crude and overt interference by foreign intelligence services in Hungary’s electoral processes”.
Orbán, 62, has been in power for 16 years and is close to Moscow. According to analysts, he has benefited from covert Russian assistance to boost his chances of reelection.
However, polls by independent institutes predict a sweeping victory for the Tisza party led by pro-European conservative Peter Magyar.
In two years, Magyar has built an opposition movement capable of challenging the incumbent Hungarian leader, who has transformed his country into a model of illiberal democracy.
Pro-government institutions are predicting victory for Orbán’s Fidesz-KDNP coalition.
Since returning to power, Trump and his government have broken with the traditional restraint past US administrations have shown regarding foreign elections. Instead, it now strongly shows support for leaders it sees as compatible with its ideology and diplomatic priorities.
In his visit in February, Rubio left no doubt about who the US wants to prevail in Sunday’s vote.
“I can say to you with confidence that President Trump is deeply committed to your success, because your success is our success,” Rubio said during a joint press conference with Orbán after their meeting.
Orbán is particularly aligned with the Trump administration on anti-migrant policies, which came to the fore in Hungary during the refugee crisis 10 years ago. He has visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida several times.
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