Viktor Orban

Date of Birth: 31.05.1963

Viktor Orban - Prime Minister of Hungary. Leader of the Fidesz party.

Place of Birth. Education. Born on May 31, 1963, in Székesfehérvár, Hungarian People's Republic. After finishing high school and military service (1981-1982), he began his law studies at the University of Budapest. In 1987, he graduated and lived for two years in Szolnok but drove 90 km daily to Budapest for work, where he worked as a sociologist at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food's institute. In 1989, he received a scholarship from the Soros Foundation and completed a one-year internship at Pembroke College, Oxford.

Political Activity. Viktor Orban began his political career as a founder of the Fidesz party (Fidesz, short for FIatal DEmokraták SZövetsége, 'Alliance of Young Democrats'), which was established on March 30, 1988. He gained national prominence after his speech on June 16, 1989, at the reburial ceremony of Imre Nagy and other political figures of Hungary who were executed in 1958. In his speech, Orban called for free elections and the withdrawal of Soviet troops from Hungarian territory.

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In 1990, at the first elections in post-communist Hungary, Orban was elected to Parliament (reelected in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006). In 1990, he was elected leader of Fidesz, which under his leadership transformed from a liberal political organization (a member of the Liberal International) into a right-wing conservative party. Since 1995, Orban's party has officially been called Fidesz-MPP (Alliance of Young Democrats - Hungarian Civic Party). Since October 2002, Orban has been the Vice President of the European People's Party, which unites conservative parties of Europe.

In 1998, after Fidesz's victory in the parliamentary elections (the party received 44% of the votes), he formed a center-right government. At 35, he became the youngest prime minister in modern Hungary (only in the 20th century was András Hegedüs younger, leading the government from 1955-1956). Economically, he advocated for tax cuts and social contributions, combating unemployment and inflation. During his tenure, inflation fell from 10% in 1999 to 7.8% in 2001 (it was 15% in 1998). The budget deficit decreased from 3.9% in 1999 to 3.4% in 2001. Economic growth was 4.4% in 1999, 5.2% in 2000, and 3.8% in 2001; tuition fees were abolished, and universal benefits for mothers were restored.

Orban supported the German leadership model, which foresees the prime minister's leading role in the government system. He strengthened the role of the chancellery, carried out a radical reform of the state apparatus, leading among other things to the creation of a ministry of economics. Orban's constant striving to reduce the influence of Parliament on political processes and to strengthen the personal effect of the prime minister faced sharp criticism from the opposition, which accused him of authoritarian tendencies and attempts to influence the media. During Orban's tenure, Hungary, along with Poland and the Czech Republic, was officially admitted to NATO in 1999.

In the 2002 election, Orban's party suffered a defeat, and he resigned. Fidesz demanded a recount of votes (the Central Election Office rejected this demand) and called the elections dishonest. However, international observers only expressed serious criticism of the electoral campaign: state television was biased in favor of Fidesz. At the same time, Orban was constantly harshly criticized by the left and liberal press.

In the 2006 elections, Orban led Fidesz again and later became the main figure of the opposition against the government of the social liberal coalition. According to political scientists, he tries to combine conservative ideology and populist practice in his political activity.

On April 12 and 25, 2010, two rounds of parliamentary elections took place, in which the Hungarian Civic Union (Fidesz) won more than two-thirds of the seats in the Republic's legislative body (263 mandates out of 386), thus securing an absolute majority. The conservatives of Fidesz will be able to make legislative changes without support, including constitutional amendments. The leader of the Civic Union, Viktor Orban, commented on the election results, saying that Hungarian voters had made a real 'revolution' that would put an end to the 'misery and despair' in which the country found itself.

On May 29, 2010, Viktor Orban was again appointed Prime Minister of Hungary after receiving the approval of the center-right coalition.