Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán celebrates Donald Trump victory as end of ‘liberal non-democracy’
The Republican’s election is an ‘historic event, in which Western civilization appears to successfully break free from the confines of an ideology’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has heralded Donald Trump’s shock election victory as the end of “liberal non-democracy”.
Mr Orbán, who was a vocal supporter of the Trump campaign, said the Republican win would allow Western civilisation to “break free from the confines of an ideology”.
He also claimed Mr Trump’s election was akin to the Brexit vote, representing a global change in popular thinking.
It was an "historic event, in which Western civilisation appears to successfully break free from the confines of an ideology”, Mr Orbán told the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development conference.
“We are living in the days where what we call liberal non-democracy, in which we lived for the past 20 years, ends, and we can return to real democracy.”
Mr Orbán's political climb has not been dissimilar to President-elect Trump’s and the former billionaire investor turned politician has been widely criticised for his rejection of globalisation and inciting xenophobia in the country.
In July, he labelled migrants a “poison” for Europe and claimed the bloc did not need “a single one”.
He also called Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton’s foreign policy “deadly” for Hungary, while supporting heavily Mr Trump’s anti-immigration stance as “vital” for Budapest.
“We can call problems by their name and find solutions not derived from an ideology but based on pragmatic, creative-thinking rooted in common sense,” Mr Orbán said following the US election result.
He said despite “the big bang”, everyone was “still alive”.
“What a wonderful world. This also shows that democracy is creative and innovative,” Mr Orban said.
In October, he called a referendum which asked citizens whether they wished to disregard European Union quotas for resettling migrants.
Voters supported the government’s opposition to the mandatory acceptance of a certain number of asylum seekers; however, the ballot was invalidated due to low voter turnout.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments