Hungarian PM holds ’state of the nation’ speech

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán held his annual speech on Tuesday, voicing his opinion that Hungary now stands on new foundations, which he called an “irreversible fact”. Opposition parties dismissed his views as lies that are distant from reality.

In a speech held in front of a crowd of supporters in Budapest, the prime minister strongly defended the measures taken by his government since his centre-right Fidesz government swept into power in April 2010, including the controversial ones such as the new constitution, the bank levy, crisis taxes and repayment scheme for forex mortgage-holders.

The government has reached a milestone, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán said in his address to the nation on Tuesday. Hungary now stands on new foundations and this is an irreversible fact, he pointed out.

He said Hungary must maintain a flat income tax system in order to protect its middle classes. In his view, the government had managed to rein in the public debt, even if the forint's volatility “blurred the picture.”

He added he was prepared to cooperate with everyone whose goal is to help the creation of a strong Hungary.

Opposition parties in Hungarian parliament dismissed the prime minister’s words. The Socialists said Orbán's evaluation of the year had nothing to do with reality. “It was a speech of lies,” green LMP politicians added. The far-right Jobbik classified the speech as disappointment with very few concrete statements, while the Democratic Coalition called it “a reading by a loser” whose only aim is to hold on to power.