"I perceive Tisza's victory positively, but have concerns." Belarusians living in Hungary talk about the elections and change of government

Young Hungarians celebrate the victory on the streets of Budapest. Photo: AP Photo/Denes Erdos

"I voted for Tisza, despite its centrist-conservative orientation"

Natalia (all names in the article have been changed at the request of the interviewees. — Ed.) has lived in Hungary for over 20 years. In 2023, she received Hungarian citizenship – and these were the first elections in which she voted. The Belarusian woman cast her vote for the Tisza party – "despite its centrist-conservative orientation."

According to the interviewee, the main motivation was the desire to change Viktor Orbán's government, which had been in power for 16 years. The Belarusian woman notes the difficult economic situation in the country. In her opinion, this was caused, among other things, by the policy of issuing loans and grants for housing.

"We were among those who lost. We have two children, and we couldn't take advantage of these benefits, but we paid for them – both in the form of taxes and through inflation," the interviewee explains.

In addition, Natalia draws attention to the increase in taxes for entrepreneurs and rising prices.

"Changing the system will not be easy"

She was also dissatisfied with the political situation:

"It became obvious to me that things were bad when Hungarian minorities abroad were given the right to vote (there is a possibility of fraud with ballots sent by mail by representatives of the Hungarian minority in neighboring countries. — Ed.), and media freedom began to be restricted. The anti-immigrant hysteria, naturally, also affected me, because I am not Hungarian."

Comparing the parliamentary elections in Hungary with the elections in Belarus, the interviewee emphasizes the main differences: here, according to her, there were neither ballot stuffing nor "riot police counting votes," and the incumbent prime minister quickly conceded his defeat.

"What do we want from the Tisza government? Alternation of power, that we stop blushing for our foreign policy, something will be done for teachers and the education system, and we will finally be able to live in a society where there is a place for everyone – Soros, Roma, LGBT, migrants," says Natalia.

At the same time, she admits that she awaits changes "with cautious optimism," because "Fidesz has firmly grown together with the state apparatus, and changing the system will not be easy."

"I haven't particularly felt any negative aspects"

Mikhail, a Belarusian who has lived in Hungary for over 15 years, holds a similar point of view and also looks at the opposition's victory with "restrained optimism." He draws attention to the fact that the leader of the Tisza party, Péter Magyar, comes from Fidesz and "was part of that system for many years."

Speaking about Viktor Orbán's years in power, the interviewee admits that what was happening in the country evoked alarming associations with Belarus, though without the brutality characteristic of the Belarusian authorities.

Regarding anti-immigrant sentiments, Mikhail says he did not experience them himself:

"The rhetoric was aggressive, but in fact, the situation, although not the most favorable, was generally normal. I haven't particularly felt any negative aspects."

In recent years, it has become more difficult for immigrants to obtain documents – even with employment in Hungary – but these changes have not yet affected Mikhail.

The Belarusian also talks about the economic situation in the country: despite his income being approximately twice the median salary, he does not feel rich and saves almost nothing. From the change of government, the Belarusian expects improvements in public administration, primarily in healthcare and education, which, in his estimation, are currently in a rather deplorable state.

"Wage growth does not cover inflation"

Dmitry moved to Hungary in August 2022 after receiving a job offer. The man admits that he does not read Hungarian media and bases his opinion on what is happening in the country on information from Russian-language public groups and conversations with Hungarian colleagues.

"None of my acquaintances supported Fidesz and Orbán. Everyone emphasized high inflation, corruption, insufficient funding for medicine and education, and a deficit of independent media," Dmitry says.

He himself was negatively affected by "Orbán's close contact with the Kremlin" and accusations against the EU for Hungary's economic failures.

The economic situation, according to Dmitry, has indeed changed over four years:

"Noticeable price increases, wage growth does not cover inflation. Hungary is the poorest country in the EU, but prices in stores are the same as or higher than in neighboring Austria. Also, it has the highest VAT."

"We are happy for fair elections in Hungary"

At the same time, he also notes positive aspects, in particular – the absence of bureaucracy when enrolling a child in kindergarten or school, as well as good conditions for children.

"When our child went to school, they held a meeting for parents of foreign students, invited translators, and talked about the integration program," Dmitry says.

He believes that such a school decision is due to the fact that "the district mayor is an ideological socialist," so in their district "there is free medical care for all children and additional material support for low-income families." The Belarusian was pleasantly surprised that "mayors have power" and the ability to influence the lives of voters.

Dmitry admits that he feels freer in Hungary compared to Belarus.

"We are happy for the fair elections in Hungary. I perceive Tisza's victory positively. But there are concerns that the conservative right-wing politician Magyar, in case of exacerbation of internal problems, might play the card of immigrant dissatisfaction and worsen our situation here," the interviewee expresses his concern.

"In case of Orbán's victory, I planned to look for another place of residence"

Andrei also moved to Hungary in 2022. The Hungarians he communicated with did not support Orbán's regime – many of them were in political opposition.

"Personally, I had the feeling that this was the initial stage of the development of a political dictatorship. Parallels arose with Belarus in 2010 or 2015," he says.

At the same time, in terms of economic conditions, Hungary, according to Andrei, still looked more attractive than Belarus. Business activity here, in his opinion, is quite high, and overall he considers Hungary a more promising country than Belarus.

"Orbán's victory in the elections would have meant an Eastern direction of Hungary's development, which I did not like. In case of his victory, I even planned to look for another place of residence," Andrei admits.

"The next six months will show the real state of affairs"

He had heard various things about Péter Magyar.

"He used to be in the ranks of Fidesz, and, frankly, I still have a suspicion: isn't this Orbán's game – a smooth transfer of power to a formally opposition leader. The next six months will show the real state of affairs," the interviewee reflects.

At the same time, Andrei expects that after Péter Magyar comes to power, Hungary will strengthen its economic positions in the EU. In his opinion, this will contribute to the influx of finance, the development of business activity, and the return of Hungarians who left due to the economic situation in the country.

"I believe that the new government should work on improving relations with all neighboring countries, including Ukraine," he adds.

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