Vice President of the United States JD Vance was in Hungary on Tuesday to show support for nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, ahead of the country's election this weekend. Vance accused Brussels of foreign election interference during a press conference in Budapest.
Vance was in the Hungarian capital to deliver a message of support from US President Donald Trump to his ally Orban, hailing the Hungarian prime minister as a "model" for Europe.
At a press conference he held in Budapest on Tuesday, Vance accused European Union "bureaucrats" of “one of the worst examples of foreign election interference” he had ever seen, before adding he was “here to help [Orban] in this election campaign”.
The visit comes ahead of Sunday, 12 April's tightly contested parliamentary elections, in which Orban is facing an unprecedented challenge to his 16-year rule.
Vance was greeted by Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, before heading to Orban's office in the Carmelite Monastery overlooking the Danube.
Vance is among the Trump administration's fiercest critics of centrist and progressive European governments, and one of the most fervent supporters of far-right parties in Europe.
"I did want to send a signal to everybody, particularly the bureaucrats in Brussels who have done everything that they can to hold down the people of Hungary, because they don't like the leader who has actually stood up for the people of Hungary," he told reporters.
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Prior to the trip, Vance had told journalists that there were a number of items to discuss related to the US-Hungary relationship.
"Obviously, I'm sure Europe and Ukraine and all the other stuff will figure in pretty prominently," he said.
Orban said he had discussed the "major issues facing Western civilisation" with Vance, such as "migration, gender ideology, family policy, and global security".
His visit follows that of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in mid-February, who wished his Hungarian ally "success" in the April election.
In a Facebook message ahead of the visit, Szijjarto hailed the "personal friendship between Donald Trump and Viktor Orban".
"There is no question that Hungarian-American relations are in a golden age," he said.
Model of 'illiberal' democracy
Orban, 62, is close to Moscow and, according to analysts, has benefitted from covert Russian assistance to boost his chances of reelection.
However, polls by independent institutes predict a sweeping victory for the opposition 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 and his Fidesz party. Pro-government institutions are predicting victory for Orban's Fidesz-KDNP coalition.
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Since returning to power, Trump and his government have broken with the traditional restraint shown by previous US administrations regarding foreign elections, choosing to clearly demonstrate its support for leaders it sees as compatible with its ideology and diplomatic priorities.
During his visit in February, during a joint press conference with Orban after their meeting, Rubio said: "I can say to you with confidence that President Trump is deeply committed to your success, because your success is our success."
Orban is particularly aligned with the Trump administration on anti-immigration 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.
(with AFP)
