GERMANY: Hungarian opposition leader lashes out at his country's government after meeting Germany's Merkel in Berlin

Record ID: 560794

  • Title: GERMANY: Hungarian opposition leader lashes out at his country's government after meeting Germany's Merkel in Berlin
  • Date: 27th May 2009
  • Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (MAY 26, 2009) (REUTERS) HUNGARIAN OPPOSITION LEADER VIKTOR ORBAN ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE AT HUNGARIAN EMBASSY IN BERLIN REPORTERS SEATED ORBAN SITTING DOWN REPORTERS SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (Hungarian) HUNGARIAN OPPOSITION LEADER, VIKTOR ORBAN, SAYING: +++APPROXIMATE TRANSLATION+++ "German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Italian prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and I have common interests and we all sit in the same boat, sailing towards a joint victory in the European elections." MEDIA SPOKESMAN, PETER SZIJJARTO, GIVING INSTRUCTIONS (SOUNDBITE) (English) HUNGARIAN OPPOSITION LEADER, VIKTOR ORBAN, SAYING: "Every figure in the German economy has a relevance in Hungary in a double term: when the GDP declines here by three percent, in Hungary it's six. When the GDP growth is two percent, it was four percent in Hungary. I don't think that it's still as automatic as it was but when the German economy is in trouble, it's very difficult to run a successful economic policy in Hungary. So we in Hungary are very much interested in a strong and quick recovery of the German economy." REPORTERS SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) HUNGARIAN OPPOSITION LEADER, VIKTOR ORBAN, SAYING: "We need a government. We don't have a government in Hungary right now. We have some guys in governmental offices but nobody elected them and there is no public support behind them. They represent just a small circle of billionaires in Hungary without any major political and public support. And it's obvious that they are not able to run the country in a proper shape. It's not the right policy we need so we would like to have a change as soon as possible, a real political government which is supported strongly by the EPP parties, among them (Merkel's) CDU." REPORTERS SEATED (SOUNDBITE) (English) HUNGARIAN OPPOSITION LEADER, VIKTOR ORBAN, SAYING: (ASKED WHEN CHANGE COULD HAPPEN) "As soon as possible. It's already too late. So the European elections will be important. In Hungary the European elections will not just be about the European seats. It will be about the domestic political situation as well, very much. So we hope, just hope that a strong victory on June 7 can accelerate the process of changing the government in Hungary." REPORTER'S RECORDER ON TABLE ORBAN SPEAKING
  • Embargoed: 11th June 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: International Relations,Domestic Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVAES8FAW4LWVNHG9VDGIT7WS4SK
  • Story Text: Hungarian opposition leader Viktor Orban of the Fidesz main centre-right opposition party lashed out against the government of Premier Gordon Bajnai in Germany on Tuesday (May 26), calling it a non-government.
    "We need a government," Orban told reporters.
    "We don't have a government in Hungary right now. We have some guys in governmental offices but nobody elected them and there is no public support behind them.
    Orban was speaking at Berlin's Hungarian embassy after meeting Angela Merkel at the chancellor's office to discuss bilateral issues and the upcoming European parliament elections.
    Orban said the present Hungarian government represented "just a small circle of billionaires in Hungary without any major political and public support."
    "We would like to have a change as soon as possible, a real political government which is supported strongly by the EPP parties, among them (Merkel's) CDU," Orban said.
    Asked when such a change could take place, the opposition leader responded "as soon as possible."
    "It's already too late. The European elections will be important. In Hungary the European elections will not just be about the European seats. It will be about the domestic political situation as well," he said.
    Orban said he and his Fidesz party hoped for "a strong victory on June 7" which could "accelerate the process of changing the government in Hungary."
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