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Mr Orbán said clemency cases are “completely detached from the government’s work,” granting clemency is the sole and exclusive privilege of the president of the republic, and Mrs Novák said yes in a case where the only correct decision would have been to say no.
He added that almost everyone in the country felt that way, and especially on the Right as family values, the protection of children and children as the most precious assets in our lives are “at the very centre of our political credo, our set of beliefs.”
He took the view that due to this decision, national unity was broken which could only be restored through the resignation of the head of state. “To her credit, the president – who otherwise did a fantastic job, and whom we all loved and continue to love – admitted that she had made a mistake and departed,” he added.
He said the reasons for the nomination of President of the Constitutional Court Tamás Sulyok as new head of state should be sought in his experience, his expertise in constitutional and legal matters, his knowledge of international law, his acquaintance with and presence on the international scene, his familiarity with the nature of political institutions, and his career involving a formidable professional reputation. He said the combination of these attributes and qualities made him the obvious choice as the most suitable candidate. He also said his nomination was preceded by lengthy consultations and talks; in the very last round, it was also discussed by Fidesz’s presidential board.
He said “Hungary is a strong country, we have this problem here, the previous president has resigned, and our hearts are still bleeding,” additionally, on a case where there was a stark contrast between the decision of the head of state and the people’s opinion. Every cloud has a silver lining though because when they considered whom they felt to be worthy of this calling, they found quite a few Hungarians worthy of the position which reinforces one’s faith in one’s own nation and country, he said, observing that he was happy that there was such a wide range of candidates.
The Prime Minister said the new president will have to restore the broken unity or upset balance. Mr Orbán expressed hoped that Mr Sulyok will make it clear that in cases involving or connected to acts of paedophilia there is no pardon; this cannot happen, this is out of the question.
“I sincerely hope that he will also call upon us to adopt the legislative amendments and government decisions that are necessary for preventing things like this from happening,” he added, indicating at the same time that he has already adopted some of these decisions and has ordered a comprehensive review and inspection.
He stressed that in a fair country like Hungary, things like what happened in the Bicske children’s home and what was brought to the surface by the clemency case cannot happen.
“This is quite simply unacceptable, and as we can’t tear those who touch our children indecently to pieces, the bare minimum is that once they’re convicted, there is no pardon, there is no clemency,” he laid down.
He said all such institutions must be investigated from the viewpoint of whether the incumbent managers have passed the appropriate aptitude tests, whether they meet the relevant conditions, and whether the scrutiny in question extends to every relevant fact. He added that this must also extend to lifestyle, any sexual deviance and psychological aptitude. “People who pose a threat to children can’t work in schools, nursery schools or children’s homes,” he stated.
He stressed that it was “impossible” that a man like the one who was at the centre of this case – the principal of the children’s home who committed acts of paedophilia – committed such crimes, and then “afterwards rather the given community immediately exploding,” instead “they try to cover it up, to conceal it, to sweep it under the carpet.”
The Prime Minister said they must tidy things up in this field, and they will; he will personally monitor this work and would like to conclude the process with appropriate decisions.
Mr Orbán said Brussels is in the throes of “a midlife crisis” as the mandate of the incumbent European Union will end in June. Therefore, “at the end of it, the fair gentlemen in Brussels are enrolling in one last round,” hence the issues of LGBTQ rights, migration and the war being brought back onto the table, he observed.
Hungary must ward off these attempts, there is not much time left, the elections will be held in June, he pointed out.
The Prime Minister described the migration pact as an even bigger problem because on the issue of LGBTQ rights there is mostly agreement in Hungary, but on the issue of migration the situation is somewhat more divided.
He stressed at the same time that on this issue, too, there was a massive majority in Hungary in favour of national sovereignty, meaning that the Hungarians alone should have the right to decide whom they want to live together with. There were a referendum and a national consultation on this issue, too, “but there are a large number of paid agents here,” he said.
He recalled that in 2015-2016 George Soros had published a programme, the infamous Soros Plan, featuring the very proposals that we can find in the action plan of the Brusselites who are now nervous due to the “midlife crisis” they are experiencing: migrant ghettos must be created, we must bring in minimum a million people annually, and migration must be managed, rather than rejected.
We have been able to prevent this, Mr Orbán stated, adding that “I’ve been fighting since 2015, first alone, then we were more and more until we were in the majority and were able to foil the idiotic pro-migration rules in Brussels.”
Now, we must endure one last charge, Mr Orbán warned in the radio interview, adding that we are not alone, there are several countries that do not support pro-migration rules.
There were some whom bravely opposed these, including the Slovaks, while others said no by abstaining or objecting to certain parts such as the Czechs or the Poles – though over there different winds are blowing now – and the Italians, too, have their wits about them, while the Greeks are suffering likewise, the Prime Minister recalled.
“So, there are quite a few of us living our lives in the midst of the wave of migration, and so far we have been able to defend ourselves well. We don’t want to throw the result of the struggles of recent years out the window, that we have remained a migrant-free country, due to one last Brussels charge before the elections,” he stated in summary.
There is no military solution to the Russo-Ukrainian conflict on the battlefield, we need a peace process which brings this conflict to an end, and creates at the same time a Europe for us that will be liveable in the long term, the Prime Minister said in connection with the two-year anniversary of the outbreak of the war.
He said this is a very difficult issue; Russia attacked Ukraine, and this raises a number of issues of principle as well as moral issues. However, war is, at the end of the day, fundamentally an issue of realpolitik.
The realities on the ground were evident from the start. This is why Hungary said what it said already back then. The West cannot throw itself, head first, into a war in which it is evident – based on fundamental mathematical and realistic facts – that there is no solution to be found on the battlefield, he took the view.
He highlighted that we must strive for a ceasefire and peace talks because with military force one cannot bring Russia to its knees. We Hungarians do not share the British, French and German point of view which seeks to force a military solution. We need peace in our neighbourhood, this is an existential issue, an issue of human existence for us, Mr Orbán said.
Regarding as to whether the position of the European Union could change, he said the foot of the West “got stuck in that pothole,” they stepped into it and they are unable to free their foot. He expects public opinion to settle this issue over time. He does not believe that the leaders he knows would come to the realisation that they made a mistake, and – even if with the encouragement of the Ukrainians – misjudged the situation. Following from this, we must face the risk of the escalation of the war which is bad for Europe and which will also destroy us economically. The war is absorbing an inordinate amount of money without a chance of military success, the Prime Minister pointed out, adding that this must be brought to an end.
In his view, Western European leaders will have no choice but to say – fabricating some reason – that there is indeed no chance of a military solution anymore, it is time for politicians and diplomats to sit down, to have a ceasefire and to start peace talks. He believes that it will not be easy for them to admit that they made a mistake, the same as it was not easy for them to admit that they made a mistake on the issue of migration.
Mr Orbán took the view that sooner or later someone will have to say “I made a mistake.” This is why they look forward to the presidential elections in the United States, following which – it is to be hoped – the incumbent president will leave, and President Trump will return with a carte blanche to create peace, he observed.
He added that this will not happen in Europe of its own accord; in Europe we need a European parliamentary election, while in America a presidential election. If there is a new cast, then a pro-peace system of European institutions to be set up after the European elections along with its leaders in cooperation with Donald Trump emerging victorious in the United States will be able to create peace together, fundamentally based on an American initiative, he stated in summary.
In answer to a question about Sweden’s NATO accession and the visit of the Swedish prime minister to Hungary, the Prime Minister said there were some pending military weaponry issues, and while he understands the parliamentary group’s opposition, he asked them to give him time to build trust.
He has spoken to the Swedish prime minister several times, and this process will be brought to a conclusion on Friday in Budapest. They will settle all outstanding issues, will enter into defence industry and military agreements, and will also lay down some directions and decisions regarding military cooperation, Mr Orbán indicated.
The Prime Minister pointed out that we must accept that we are different. Sweden arranges its life according to different values than Hungary does. Hungary is a country with a Christian culture; Christian values are fundamental in our society. “We are a family-centred country, and the Hungarians can’t stomach the modern configurations which are now so widespread in Europe,” the Prime Minister said, also highlighting that in the Russo-Ukrainian conflict Hungary is pro-peace, while Sweden is pro-war.
Evidently, there are clear differences in values between the two countries, but these can be managed. We do not want to tell the Swedes how to live, and if they do not want to tell us either how to live, an opportunity for cooperation opens up, he stressed. In continuation he said rather than entering into a marriage, we are forging a military alliance which is about the fact that if one party is attacked, the other one comes to its aid, and this can also be done on the basis of different value sets. Sweden and Hungary are able to cooperate on an interest basis, this is what we will seal on Friday, and on Monday, the Hungarian Parliament will have a chance to put its signature to the document, the Prime Minister said.
