EU country alleges US involvement in election meddling
According to Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto, Washington engaged in “serious attempts” to influence Hungary’s parliamentary elections in 2022. Read Full Article at RT.com.
TroibNews 
Washington has spent “millions of dollars” in an attempt to change the government in Hungary, according to Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto.
Szijjarto has asserted that the US has “invested heavily” in efforts to oust the current Hungarian administration. He states that US interference included financially supporting the opposition to challenge the Fidesz-Christian Democratic People’s Party alliance, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in the 2022 elections.
In an interview with RIA Novosti published on Monday, Szijjarto claimed, “there were very serious attempts to interfere in our elections [in 2022]… Very heavy interference, many millions of dollars spent to throw the government out.”
“Millions of dollars have been spent by American entities during the Hungarian elections, invested in our opposition, invested in opposition media. This is still going on,” he noted. Despite these efforts, he emphasized that the political opposition did not succeed in the elections and expressed optimism that any future attempts to interfere in Hungary's policies would be similarly ineffective.
In the 2022 elections, the Fidesz-KDNP alliance secured 135 seats out of 199 in the Hungarian National Assembly, preserving a constitutional majority for the third consecutive time. In contrast, the coalition of six opposition parties headed by Peter Marki-Zay garnered only 57 seats. Following the elections, the Hungarian parliament reelected Orban for a fifth term as prime minister.
Reports of illicit foreign funding for opposition party campaigns emerged in late 2022, with Hungarian media citing an intelligence report from domestic secret services that alleged the opposition received up to $8 million from foreign entities. Marki-Zay later acknowledged receiving support from the US-based 'Action for Democracy' NGO during a podcast for the Magyar Hang newspaper.
The US government has refuted allegations of attempting to interfere in Hungary's electoral process. In a speech in Budapest earlier this year, US Ambassador David Pressman sought to shift focus away from accusations of meddling, stating that Hungary has no grounds to “decry foreign interference” while it “advocates for electoral candidates around the world from Poland to Brazil.”
US-Hungarian relations have deteriorated significantly in recent years, particularly concerning the Ukraine conflict. While Washington has provided financial and military assistance to Ukraine, Budapest has advocated for a diplomatic resolution and has resisted severing ties with Russia. Hungary has also opposed multiple sanction initiatives proposed by the West aimed at pressuring Moscow regarding Ukraine’s peace terms.
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
Szijjarto has asserted that the US has “invested heavily” in efforts to oust the current Hungarian administration. He states that US interference included financially supporting the opposition to challenge the Fidesz-Christian Democratic People’s Party alliance, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in the 2022 elections.
In an interview with RIA Novosti published on Monday, Szijjarto claimed, “there were very serious attempts to interfere in our elections [in 2022]… Very heavy interference, many millions of dollars spent to throw the government out.”
“Millions of dollars have been spent by American entities during the Hungarian elections, invested in our opposition, invested in opposition media. This is still going on,” he noted. Despite these efforts, he emphasized that the political opposition did not succeed in the elections and expressed optimism that any future attempts to interfere in Hungary's policies would be similarly ineffective.
In the 2022 elections, the Fidesz-KDNP alliance secured 135 seats out of 199 in the Hungarian National Assembly, preserving a constitutional majority for the third consecutive time. In contrast, the coalition of six opposition parties headed by Peter Marki-Zay garnered only 57 seats. Following the elections, the Hungarian parliament reelected Orban for a fifth term as prime minister.
Reports of illicit foreign funding for opposition party campaigns emerged in late 2022, with Hungarian media citing an intelligence report from domestic secret services that alleged the opposition received up to $8 million from foreign entities. Marki-Zay later acknowledged receiving support from the US-based 'Action for Democracy' NGO during a podcast for the Magyar Hang newspaper.
The US government has refuted allegations of attempting to interfere in Hungary's electoral process. In a speech in Budapest earlier this year, US Ambassador David Pressman sought to shift focus away from accusations of meddling, stating that Hungary has no grounds to “decry foreign interference” while it “advocates for electoral candidates around the world from Poland to Brazil.”
US-Hungarian relations have deteriorated significantly in recent years, particularly concerning the Ukraine conflict. While Washington has provided financial and military assistance to Ukraine, Budapest has advocated for a diplomatic resolution and has resisted severing ties with Russia. Hungary has also opposed multiple sanction initiatives proposed by the West aimed at pressuring Moscow regarding Ukraine’s peace terms.
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
