Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban used the CPAC Hungary conference on Thursday to endorse Polish nationalist presidential candidate Karol Nawrocki and outline a “patriotic plan” aimed at “transforming” the European Union.
Orban, a long-time ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), a prominent conservative gathering originating in the United States, in Budapest.
“Long live Nawrocki,” Orban declared, ahead of Sunday’s second round of the Polish presidential election. Polls indicate that Rafal Trzaskowski, the candidate from Poland’s ruling Civic Coalition (KO) and the Mayor of Warsaw, is currently leading Nawrocki.
Trump addressed the Budapest conference via a pre-recorded video message, praising Orban as a “great man.”
Orban, who faces a significant election challenge early next year, has intensified his rhetoric against the media and LGBTQ+ individuals since Trump’s return to office.
On Thursday, Orban asserted that Trump’s reelection has “changed the world” and presented a plan to reshape the EU along conservative lines.
He reiterated his opposition to EU membership for Ukraine, joint European taxation or borrowing, and emphasized the importance of protecting national sovereignty.
“We want to take Europe back from migrants. We want a Christian culture, schools based on national principles,” Orban stated.
Orban also welcomed former Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis as a speaker and endorsed him ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for early October. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico, another Orban ally, is also scheduled to address CPAC.
