Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivers a state of the nation speech in Budapest, Hungary, on Feb. 18, 2018. Viktor Orban delivered a state of the nation speech here on Sunday in which he put "Hungary first," listing his government's results before general elections to be held on April 8. (Xinhua/Szilard Voros)
BUDAPEST, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivered a state of the nation speech here on Sunday in which he put "Hungary first", listing his government's results before general elections to be held on April 8.
"For us, Hungary comes first," Orban said. "Our influence and reputation as well as our visibility is greater today than would be suggested by a country of our size or of our economic weight," he added.
He listed the creation of more than 700,000 new jobs among the main results of his government, which has been in power since 2010. Eight years ago, he promised the creation of one million new jobs in ten years.
Regarding migration, he said that the erection of the fence along the border with Serbia has been necessary, along with the "exemplary work of the police" to successfully defend Hungary's southern borders.
He lashed out against the politicians of western Europe: "Although we are safe from the south, we are menaced from the West, namely by Brussels, Berlin and Paris politicians, who want our country to adopt their policy..."
Orban also spoke out against the American billionaire of Hungarian origin George Soros, whom he accused of orchestrating international migration, alongside a so-called "Soros plan."
"We will not remain silent and watch the execution of the Soros Plan: if need be, we will make use of stronger legal tools," he pointed, recalling a set of bills presented at the Parliament in the beginning of the week by the government entitled "Stop Soros."
If adopted, the set of laws will refer NGOs aiding migration to a national security license, and would force them to pay a 25 percent charge on financing obtained abroad. NGOs considered to be doing so may be barred from border areas, while foreigners could be prevented from entering Hungary.
Gergely Karacsony, a challenger of Orban supported by the opposition Socialist Party MSZP and Parbeszed (Dialogue), described the speech as "a lie", and said that Orban should have been talking about the state of the healthcare system and the education, which according to him have both been ruined in the last eight years.
Main challenger radical opposition party Jobbik said Orban spoke only about his own eight years and not Hungary's, as the country's last years according to the party have led to the "impoverishment" of every third Hungarian and underlined that the country's hospitals became "devastated".
According to opinion polls, Orban is likely to win the elections in a third consecutive mandate.
