Viktor Orbán – Prime Minister of Hungary (1998 – 2002, 2010 – present), leader of the Fidesz party.
Place of Birth, Education
He was born on May 31, 1963 in the city of Székesfehérvár in the People’s Republic of Hungary.
After receiving secondary education and military service, the future politician entered the Faculty of Law of the University of Budapest, which he graduated in 1987.
In 1989, he received a scholarship from the Soros Foundation and completed an internship at Pembroke College, Oxford, for a year.
Career
In 1987, after receiving a law degree, he lived in the Hungarian city of Szolnok for the next two years and worked as a sociologist at an institute under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Industry.
Orbán began his political career as one of the founders of the Fidesz party.
He gained fame on June 16, 1989, speaking at the reburial ceremony of Imre Nagy and other Hungarian politicians executed in 1958. In his speech, the politician called for free elections and demanded the withdrawal of Soviet troops from the territory of Hungary.
In the first democratic elections in 1990, he was elected a member of parliament, later re-elected in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006.
Also in 1990, Orbán headed the Fidesz party, which, under his leadership, gradually changed its ideological direction – from a liberal association it turned into a right-wing conservative political force.
Since 1995, the party has received the official name Fidesz-MPP (“Union of Young Democrats – Hungarian Civic Party”).
Since October 2002, Orbán, in parallel with the leadership of the party, has served as vice chairman of the European People’s Party.
First premiership
In 1998, after Fidesz’s victory in the parliamentary elections, which won 44% of the vote, Orbán formed a center-right government. At the age of 35, he became the youngest prime minister of modern Hungary).
In his economic policy, Orbán relied on reducing taxes and social contributions, as well as fighting unemployment and inflation. During his administration, inflation decreased from 15% in 1998 to 7.8% in 2001, and the budget deficit decreased from 3.9% in 1999 to 3.4% in 2001. Economic growth reached 4.4% in 1999, 5.2% in 2000 and 3.8% in 2001.
During Orbán’s term, the influence of the office of the head of government was strengthened and a large-scale reform of the state apparatus was carried out.
The prime minister’s policy of limiting the role of parliament and concentrating power in the hands of the prime minister drew criticism from the opposition, which accused Orbán of authoritarian tendencies and attempts to control the media.
During his premiership, in 1999, Hungary, together with Poland and the Czech Republic, officially joined NATO.
In the 2002 parliamentary elections, Orbán’s party was defeated, after which he left the post of Prime Minister. Fidesz demanded a recount, but the Central Election Commission (CEC) rejected this demand, and international observers recognized the election as generally fair, noting only that state television openly supported Orbán, while the left-wing and liberal press criticized his policies.
In the 2006 elections, Orbán again headed Fidesz and became the main figure in opposition to the social-liberal coalition.
Second premiership
On April 12 and 25, 2010, two rounds of parliamentary elections were held in Hungary, in which the Fidesz party won more than two-thirds of the seats in parliament. This result provided the party with an absolute majority and the opportunity to independently change legislation, including the constitution.
On May 29, Orbán took office as Prime Minister of Hungary for the second time.
On May 16, 2022, the parliament re-approved the politician as head of government.
Marital Status
Orbán is married to lawyer Anika Levai. The couple has five children: Rachel, Gaspar, Shara, Rosa, Flora.
