Menu
Good afternoon.
Honourable Presidents, First Lady and Former First Ladies, Mr. Speaker, distinguished visitors from beyond our borders, Ladies and Gentlemen.
After the news, the weather presenter makes the following announcement: “Before I give you tomorrow’s forecast, I’d like to amend today’s forecast, and apologise for yesterday’s.” That’s a related profession, a difficult job, but there’s a difference: if the weather forecaster is wrong, the worst that will happen to us is that we will get soaked; if the Prime Minister is wrong, what we need will not be an umbrella, but a lifeboat. It is difficult to say what will happen tomorrow, and in politics it is also difficult to say what happened yesterday. I learned from Imre Pozsgay that nothing is as changeable as the past. And he would know… So every year, when I am preparing my annual speech, first I read last year’s. I belong to the old school: I like it when what I said yesterday and what I say today plough the same furrow. This is no longer fashionable. I remember the astonishment caused thirty years ago when [Socialist prime minister] Gyula Horn was confronted with a statement he had made earlier; he replied, “So what?” When our opponents today are confronted with the fact that they are lying, they simply reply, “That was yesterday; today is today.” I think this is called “progress”. Let us not be surprised if a lot of people do not want to be in vogue.
Long story short, today is an easy day for me, because last year I said the following: “Great opportunities are unfolding before us. At the end of the year the global political scene will look very different from how it looked at the beginning of this year; and, with God’s help, Hungary’s room for manoeuvre will not be reduced, but will be expanded to an extent that we have not seen for a long time.” And then this came to pass: from the resignation of the President of the Republic in February up to our victory in the European Parliament elections in June. War or no war, inflation or no inflation, Fidesz–KDNP won by the second largest proportion of votes in the whole of Europe: only in Malta was there a bigger victory – but what happens in Malta stays in Malta. In Brussels today the word “patriot” resounds louder than ever. This is a great thing, because to talk about patriotism in Brussels takes the same death-defying courage as hanging around in the “B Central” sector at Fradi [Ferencváros football club] wearing a purple scarf [the colours of their rivals Újpest].
Ladies and Gentlemen,
When we stood here last year it was with a heavy heart. We had lost our President of the Republic, and the candidate leading our party list for the European Parliament elections. The war was looking worse and worse, and sanctions, inflation and high energy prices meant that the economic outlook seemed wretched. It was a nightmare. The US ambassador was the leader of the Opposition, we were under fire from Washington and Brussels, and George Soros’s agents here in Hungary were busily setting fire to haystacks and poisoning wells. And, as is often the case, betrayal was not far away. It turned out that it is not a long road from the front row here at the State of the Nation speech to Mr. Weber’s Brussels cash box. That taught us a good lesson: those who betray their friends will betray their party. Such a person will betray anyone at the first opportunity; so why wouldn’t they betray their country? But the virtues and strengths of our community are based precisely on loyalty. This is in our name, Fidesz: faith, loyalty, trust. Those who do not understand this, or do not feel the beauty of it, should leave by the nearest exit. In the end, everyone will get their just desserts: this is the law.
Dear Friends,
Although before the European elections the skies were thundering, we remained calm. This was because we have learned that time is what matters. Time is experience. We know that in politics the only constant is change. There is always something unpredictable happening – either good or bad. And just when you think you have seen it all, well, that is when a surprise comes: wham! We deliver blows and we receive blows; sometimes we get more than we give. The secret is to stay on your feet in such times. We know from Laci Papp that boxing is the sport in which the winner also gets a beating. And it is exactly the same in politics. There is no victory without suffering, and pain is our friend. Then everything is compensated for by victory. You also know that this is the best remedy. And we only need to wait another fourteen months for the next one.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Last year, 2024, was a year that tested our mettle. We saw that Hungary can pull through if we work together. Yesterday we were heretics, and today half the world is being a path to our door. We were described as being the past. It turned out that we are the future. We are evergreen, like the Rolling Stones. What is good never goes out of fashion.
Dear Friends,
We have been fighting for fifteen years. A handful of Hungarian rebels against an empire. Solitary, alone, the wind in our face. A terrified Szekler lad cries to his father: “They’re coming, and they outnumber us ten to one!” The old man says: “Well, that’s how many they need!” Of course, looking back from the cooling shade of the American election victory, memory lends everything an attractive glow. But we know that the situation was on a knife edge. As we say in the locker room: the pie was hot. The stakes on the table were high. It’s a fine achievement to stay in the game for years with nothing but low cards in your hand. That takes nerve.
My Friends,
Let us be proud that we Hungarians have contributed our fair share to changing the world – far beyond what our size, economic strength and population suggests. We have been the pioneers, the heralds and the initiators of this rebellion. Padre Pio predicted that Hungary was a cage from which one day a beautiful bird would fly. They will have much suffering ahead of them, he wrote, but the glory they will have will be unparalleled throughout Europe. Could this be what he meant? At times it has been bloody hard, and there have been times when it seemed wretchedly hopeless. I am not talking about for Fidesz, I am not talking about for the Government, I am talking about for Hungarians. The Hungarian nation was behind us all the way, collectively and individually. We must pay tribute to the perseverance and determination of the Hungarian people. They have not given up for a moment, they have not backed down, and not once have they said “Surrender to Soros”. Not once have they told us to surrender to Brussels. Thank you to all the rebellious Hungarians who have defended their country against the empire with their tirelessness, hard work and grit. I am grateful to be able to serve such a people. This is something that every politician in the world can envy. Headwind or no headwind, we have given the country a new, Christian, national constitution, we have protected ourselves from migration, we have protected our children from gender activists, we have stood up for peace, and we have kept our distance from war. We have protected Hungary from Soros, foreign currency mortgage holders from the banks, and families from skyrocketing utility bills. We have given an extra one million people the chance to work, and now we have 4.7 million people in work. Never before have so many people been in work in Hungary. Of course, there is no harm in being cautious. When the Pope was asked how many people work in the Vatican, he said “About half of them”. Speaking of the Holy Father, we thank him for being with us under the banner of peace. From here too, we wish him a speedy recovery!
Dear Friends,
This year will be different. We are on the high street of history, while our opponents are wandering muddy back streets on the edge of town. I saw the pictures of our European allies at their Paris meeting. It was as if they were biting on lemons. The European Union is outraged that negotiations have begun without them, and wants a seat at the table. Sándor Demján once said this to me: “If you want a seat at the table where the big boys are playing, look around and try to find the sucker. If you can’t find him, it must be you.” So much for Paris.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
After last year’s sombre ballad, this year it’s stomping rock and roll. Buckle up, because the fight continues – but with one important difference. This time the aim is not to outwit, not to outsmart and not to survive, but to win. We have been rebelling, but now we want to win. After Hungary, the United States has rebelled. So the situation is immediately different. But let us not think that America’s successful rebellion will bring victory to Hungary. They cannot win this for us – they can only improve our chances. President Trump is not our saviour, but our brother in arms. Moreover, he has not even finished his job, having just started it. He still has serious battles ahead of him – not just in world politics, but at home too. As far as Hungary is concerned, what has happened is that, during David’s battle with Goliath, David’s brother – who seems a rather rugged fellow – has arrived. We have been given a chance to break out of the besieged fortress – and not just break out, but break through the Empire’s defences. Now is the time to think boldly and think big. So my proposal to you, and to ourselves, is that 2025 should be the year of the breakthrough.
Dear Friends,
Let us not fall in love with our successes of last year. Even though our opponents have been gravely wounded, and for the first time I see fear in their eyes, and for the first time they have to retreat, it would be a mistake to underestimate them. Even so, in these circumstances we can only break through with a disciplined and planned campaign. Let us look at what we must do. The Empire has two heads and a central depot. One head is in Washington, one in Brussels, and the Soros depot is here in Budapest. We know this because the Americans have thrown the skeletons out of the closet. They have uncovered and exposed the utterly corrupt, repressive power machine that has been pumping billions from the US budget into bogus civil society organisations, bought journalists, judges and prosecutors, politicians, foundations, bureaucrats, to a vast machine that has been running liberal dictatorship of opinion and political repression throughout the Western world – including Hungary. This is the truth. It has turned out that nothing is what it was said to be: tolerance, diversity, sensitisation, civil society organisations, equal opportunities, the rule of law… Come on! It was exactly what we Hungarians had always seen it as: a heavy duty financial and power machine created to pull down, crush and devour the freedom and independence of nations so that the Empire could endure. The Empire ascendant, nations subservient, until the life is squeezed out of us and the perpetual order of Empire is asserted. And so it has been since time immemorial. “We’ve been down so long, we don’t know what it means to be up”, sang [the Hungarian blues singer] Hobo. And he was right. For fifteen years Hungary has been the opposition to Brussels’. While in government we have had to act as the opposition. That would be a test even for Chuck Norris. He would be proud to succeed in it – and his majority is four-thirds.
Dear Friends,
What is happening in America is beautiful and inspiring, but let that be for the Americans. Now we Hungarians must row home from international waters and tend to our own business. First of all, we need to deal with the Empire’s depot in Budapest. The name of the working method is this: full instep drive. A high ball comes in, your foot is firm, your body leans forward, you turn onto it from the waist, you swing and shoot. To make this comprehensible to those of you who play more gentlemanly sports, this means sending a government envoy to the United States and collecting all the data and evidence related to Hungary. Then we will urgently create the constitutional and legal conditions which mean that we will not have to stand by helplessly while fake civil society organisations serve foreign interests and organise political operations under our noses. We should not have to stand by helplessly and watch them pocketing their mercenary’s pay in full view of us, flaunting their impunity, citing and expecting international protection. “Miklós [Toldi] endured it, for as long as he could endure it.” Today we have had enough. The US ambassador is gone, international protection is at an end. The final bell has rung on that. Let us have a new law like America’s Magnitsky Act. Let us shut off the Soros network’s financial sluice gates, let the state bodies do their duty in protecting sovereignty, and let us make the current perpetrators obey the law. We shall let in fresh air from the West. “May I burst in at Dévény [Devín] / With the new songs of the new times?” You may! So far there has been eastward opening, but now it will be westward! After all, that is what they have been asking for so much. We can wind up the Empire’s Budapest depot by Easter. There is a political tradition of this in Hungary: the Easter Article [by Ferenc Deák], the Easter Constitution, spring cleaning for Easter.
Dear Friends,
But we need to allocate our strength well. In the meantime, we need to fight a continuous and increasingly complex battle with the Brusselite head of the Empire. The people from the liberal networks are now retreating to Brussels. This is a well-trodden path from America, already in use during Donald Trump’s first presidency. Moreover, laws similar to ours are being passed in patriotic countries – you can see this in Israel and Georgia; there may be more to come, and the liberals will head to Brussels from there too.
Dear Friends,
We know that the truth is on our side and not on the side of Brussels. But this is not enough. Brussels has been tripped up by the truth many times before, but somehow it has always staggered to its feet and moved on. The truth is not enough; we must also show strength. We are simultaneously fighting five great battles with the Brussels bureaucrats. We do not like war, and as a people we are peaceable, peace-loving, and even mild. But there are some things on which we cannot and will not yield. On migration, we will go to the extreme limit if we have to – and even beyond that. We shall never swallow the migration pact that Brussels wants to use to bring migrants here. We shall rebel, and we shall incite rebellion amongst others. The Poles and the Dutch have already taken a stand, the Italians are on the verge of doing so, and the Germans seem to be doing the same. And of course we must not yield, we must not give up on protecting our children. Dragging us before a court in Luxembourg will be of no use to them. In fact, I suggest that on this we go on the counter-attack. Let us write into the Constitution that a person is either male or female. Full stop. In fact, I advise the Pride organizers that they should not bother preparing for this year’s parade. It would be a waste of time and money – no matter what Distriktskommandant Weber and his Hungarian agents say.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Brussels also claims that the Hungarian pension system is unsustainable, and it therefore demands abolition of the thirteenth month’s pension. But the truth is that the Hungarian pension system is sustainable if everyone continues to work, and if we keep salaries on an upward path. And this is what we want: our goal is an average income of one million forints. Of course, Brussels knows this too. In fact, they want us not to spend our money on the thirteenth month’s pension, but to give it to multinational companies. We are sorry, Herr Weber: the thirteenth month’s pension will remain.
And they are also demanding an end to the reductions in household energy bills. They can say this with inimitable elegance: “Let us remove the regulations that prevent market pricing.” My Friends, the stakes are high. For millions of families these reductions are a means of survival. Here are the numbers: a bill of 250,000 forints a year in our country is 600,000 forints in Romania, 650,000 in Slovakia, 900,000 in Poland, and more than one million in the Czech Republic. Not to mention Austria, where utility bills are sky-high. This is what we would face if we gave in to Brussels. But Minister Lantos will not give in.
And finally, there is Ukraine. This is not about the war, but about what comes afterwards. The war is progressing towards its conclusion. The war is not really about Ukraine: it is about bringing the territory of Ukraine – which was previously a buffer zone, a buffer state between NATO and Russia – under NATO control. It is still a mystery why European and American liberals thought that the Russians would stand idly by and watch this happen. What is clear is that the attempt has failed. Ukraine – or what remains of it – will once again be a buffer zone. It will not be a NATO member. But will it become a member of the European Union? That will be decided by the Hungarians. Ukraine will never become a member of the European Union in the face of opposition from Hungary and the Hungarians. Ukraine’s accession would ruin Hungarian farmers – and not only them, but the entire Hungarian national economy.
Dear Friends,
We also need to achieve a breakthrough in the Hungarian economy. We need to retain jobs – something which will not be easy. Over our heads the storm clouds of a tariff war are gathering. We cannot stop it, as that is the big boys’ weight division. But we need to work out where the lightning bolts will strike: where there will be redundancies, factory closures and other economic miseries. There are countries here in Europe that have no chance of avoiding trouble, let alone of planning a breakthrough. We have a good chance. We have to fight for our factories – both those that are already producing here, and those that are now finding their place in the world. I would remind you of the debates when the Left disparaged Hungarian car factories as mere assembly works, and attacked our industrial policy. Today the new US president wants to acquire these factories and relocate them to America. I do not think he would be collecting garbage. Services, the knowledge-based economy and tourism are also important; but no country can survive without production, without a labour-based economy. Our aim is that – while factories are closing down and tens of thousands of people are being made redundant all over the world, even in Germany – Hungary should develop, expand, and even create new jobs. The best form of defence is attack. This is why we are announcing the 100 New Factories Programme; because this is the only way to ensure that in the future every Hungarian who wants to work will have a job. Ministers Szijjártó and István Nagy will have a busy year.
My Friends,
We must also ensure that in the midst of this great struggle we do not lose sight of the future, and do not lock ourselves into the present. By 2030 – which is just a few years away – technological change will be ushering in a new world where, for the first time in human history, in manufacturing there will be more computers than human brains, more artificial sensors than human eyes, and more robotic arms than human labour. This is as significant as electricity was a hundred years ago. In terms of preparation we are not doing badly, but the pace needs to be increased. This is demonstrated by the fact that a few years ago the world’s biggest car company was Volkswagen. Today it has 670,000 workers producing 8 million cars, while Toyota has 380,000 workers producing 11 million. One third fewer workers produce one third more cars! In Germany, tens of thousands of people are facing redundancy; meanwhile 7 university departments are dealing with the future of nuclear technology, and 130 are dealing with gender studies. We will not make that mistake: we will have enough jobs and enough workers who are trained for the new industry. But the preparations need to be accelerated, and the Government knows what it needs to do. It is time to put László Palkovics back to work.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
We are also announcing Europe’s biggest programme of tax cuts. If there is a breakthrough, so be it. We will double the tax credit for families with children in two steps. Step one: 1 July. Step two: 1 January 2026. Parents’ taxes and contributions will be reduced by 20,000 forints if they have one child, by 80,000 for two children, and by 200,000 for three children or more. This will affect more than one million families. We are introducing full income tax exemption for infant care benefit and child care benefit. We are introducing full lifetime income tax exemption for mothers with two or three children. For women with three children, this will be in one step from October 2025. For women with two children it will be in stages, from January 2026. This is a world sensation, unprecedented anywhere. It will be a huge outlay, but the combination of an accelerating economy, business support programmes and full employment can generate the necessary amount, while still reducing the budget deficit and the national debt. It is a long-held dream that people who have children should be at no financial disadvantage compared to those without children. Those who have children know that what is lost to your pocket in raising a child is returned to your heart. If you raise a decent human being, you will end up benefiting financially. But it will take a long time, and be realised many years from now. This is why it is right to grant tax exemptions to those raising young children. I am also convinced that more children are born when mothers can feel financially secure having children. If we had not introduced the new family support system in 2010, there would be 200,000 fewer children in Hungary today. Imagine where we would be if those 200,000 Hungarian children had not been born.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
COVID, the war, energy prices and food price inflation have dragged families down; it is time for them to find a safe haven. This is why we also need a breakthrough in home creation. This is what is already in place: family housing subsidy; rural family housing subsidy; reduced VAT on house purchases; the rural home renovation programme; housing subsidy paid by employers. To this will be added, from 1 April, a 5 per cent interest rate cap on loans for real estate purchase. The SZÉP Card [for non-salary compensation] is on its way, as are voluntary pension savings. I also see the Student City Project on the horizon, providing 18,000 rooms in student accommodation.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
President Reagan said this to his ministers, “I hate two things: communists and taxes. Do something about them.” To this we can safely add inflation. We will not have breakthroughs in politics and economics if we are unable to control inflation. Inflation can undermine the success of other programmes, and make people’s lives miserable. Especially food inflation. This is why, in addition to one hundred new factories, tax cuts and home creation programmes, we need a fourth programme, to curb inflation. You will remember that we have introduced price-cutting measures once before: a food price freeze, a price monitoring system, mandatory price reductions. And meanwhile we raised wages over and over and over again. It is logical to think that the best way to defend against price rises is higher wages. This is generally true. But it is not always enough, and not enough in all circumstances. Right here and now, for example, it is not enough. What has happened is that the price of some basic foodstuffs has been increased significantly by retailers and supermarket chains – and with it, of course, their profits. In January this year milk was 39 per cent more expensive, eggs 35 per cent more expensive, and cooking oil 11 per cent more expensive. That is a lot! In fact, it is impermissible! Therefore we shall not permit it. I have instructed Minister Márton Nagy to reach an agreement with the retail chains to stop prices rising, and to use diplomacy. But if we cannot do it with diplomacy, we will do it with official prices. No one likes price controls, but there is no alternative. If there is no agreement, official pricing will come. And if that is not enough, we will also limit the level of commercial profit. I would not want to go that far, because peace is better and agreement is better. Pensioners deserve special attention, because food prices are taking away a higher proportion from their pensions than from workers’ salaries. This is why, in the second half of the year, we are offering pensioners refunds on VAT for vegetables, fruit and dairy products, up to a certain monthly amount. A VAT reduction would mostly increase the profits of the retail chains, so that is not what we are opting for; a VAT refund, on the other hand, will certainly go to those for whom it is intended. So that is what we will introduce.
Dear Friends,
I see that we have only a few minutes left. Let us also talk about politics. First of all there is the matter of the [former] Chief of General Staff. I advise everyone to practice moderation. I would have suggested the same to him. Party politics should be taken out of the army, not brought inside it. Only national strategy has a place in the army. Officers must know that this is on a higher plane than party politics. Rivalries, clashes of ego and affairs related to an official residence are unworthy of the armed forces and they do not belong in the public arena – and especially not on the political stage. I expect Minister Szalay-Bobrovniczky to ensure that everyone in the army does his or her job accordingly. Respect to Hungarian soldiers!
Then there are the worrying figures on the increase in drug trafficking, dealing and consumption. There is a problem here. Cheap, toxic concoctions, synthetic drugs, have been flooding the country. We need to curb this – at any cost. Literally at any cost. I will appoint a special government commissioner. We shall introduce a zero-tolerance policy. And I will ask Minister Pintér to launch a hunt for drug traffickers and dealers. Drug traffickers and dealers ruin and kill other people’s children, so they deserve neither leniency nor mercy. Nor will they get any.
Dear Friends,
We are responding positively to the parliamentary motion to provide a constitutional guarantee for the right to use cash. Cash is a question of freedom; therefore its use is not a custom, but a right. I hear that digital money is the future. Perhaps, but only cash can be a real, tangible guarantee. We do not want to be slaves to the banks. Credit cards are for the bank, but cash is for you. We await Minister Lázár’s parliamentary motion.
Dear Friends,
I smell a serious debate on small villages’ right to defend themselves. Do small villages have the right to defend their rural size and atmosphere? If they do, then let us give them the means to enforce their right and to put a stop to intrusion. The countryside, the village, the small town, is not an experimental zone – it is a heritage. Minister Navracsics, let us give them the right to defend themselves.
And finally, Ladies and Gentlemen, let us spend two minutes on the Opposition. After all, maintaining our good humour is the main thing. I see that our opponents are threatening us again. We do not threaten, but we do not like being threatened either. We do not recommend that to anyone, in case we end up taking it seriously. For the sake of order, we are introducing a requirement for MEPs – including the current ones – to make the kind of declaration of assets that we Hungarian MPs are obliged to make by law. We encourage Mr. Máté Kocsis, the leader of our parliamentary group, to do this.
My Friends,
Let us never forget that our real opponents are not the Opposition in Hungary, but their masters. The Hungarian opposition is only fulfilling a mandate, only serving the imperial will which finances, feeds and instructs it. How many times in our history have we seen them: political lackeys in various guises, bought, kept, and ordered around in imperial courts,. They were always what suited their interests, zapadniks, fellow travellers, labanc recruits. They were whatever they thought would benefit them personally, but they were never Hungarians or patriots. And now we have them again – only this time in Brusselite garb. The only thing that matters to Brussels is to have a government in Hungary that is submissive to it: a government which does not build a fence, does not tax the multinationals and the banks, does not pass a child protection Act, and does not introduce a thirteenth month’s pension and a reduction in household energy bills; but a government which instead lets them plunder the country in the way they are used to – thoroughly, and at a nice, fast pace. They are always looking for people to do this. They have tried an “expert” prime minister, a dual Canadian–Hungarian dual citizen, a mayor with a “hyper-passive” command of languages, and a bundled-up alliance of the far Left and far Right.
Now there is a new show, a new stage, a new puppet; but there are the same old hands and the familiar old smile. Up until 1990 Moscow gave immunity to the communists; now Brussels gives immunity to the liberals. What a stroke of luck that Brussels is not Moscow! We get fined one million euros a day for keeping migrants out, while our opponents get immunity for crimes under public law. Immunity in exchange for oaths of loyalty. But where will all this end? Let us listen to János Arany: “The night beetle buzzes, and strikes the wall. A loud smack is heard, and then all is silent.”
God above us all, Hungary before all else!
Go Hungary, go Hungarians!
