Orbán: I came to win

After casting his vote shortly after 8 am, Viktor Orbán stopped to answer questions from the press.

He was asked for his opinion on the high turnout, to which he replied: “That’s great; the more of us there are, the better.” Did he underestimate Péter Magyar? – was another question he received. “We don’t underestimate anyone,” Viktor Orbán said in response. He was also asked if he had a message for Péter Magyar this morning, to which he replied, “Well, I’ve already sent my message to the voters.”

Being pro-peace, does he really consider himself a friend of Putin’s, as he claimed in the conversation leaked to Bloomberg? “Hungary strives to maintain friendly relations with the leaders of all major countries, and fortunately, we have many friends around the world,” Orbán replied.

When asked how big a defeat Fidesz would have to suffer for him to resign as president of the party – a post he has held for twenty-three years, his response was: “A big one”. As to whether there was anything he regretted about the past 16 years, he replied, “Thank you very much, I’m fine.”

There were crews from numerous foreign media at the scene, including Russian television. When asked what his expectations were, Orbán replied, “I came to win”.

He was also asked whether he would congratulate Péter Magyar if he were to win. He replied, “Yes, I always abide by the standards of civilised behaviour.”