THE GUARDIAN: Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and France’s Marine Le Pen among figures showing support for Hungary’s prime minister
Rightwing leaders from around the world have come together to endorse Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, hinting at the symbolism that the country’s elections hold for global far-right movements even as the populist leader lags in the polls.
A campaign video published online by Orbán this week includes endorsements from nearly a dozen leaders including Italy’s Giorgia Meloni and Matteo Salvini, France’s Marine Le Pen and Germany’s Alice Weidel.
“Europe needs Viktor Orbán,” Weidel, a co-leader of the far-right Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), tells viewers.
Le Pen, the former leader of France’s far-right National Rally party, piles praise on the leader who once described Hungary as a “petri dish for illiberalism”. “Thanks to leaders like Viktor Orbán, the camp of patriots and defenders of nations and sovereign peoples is achieving ever greater success in Europe,” she says.
Meloni, in turn, seeks to highlight the similarities she shares with Orbán: “Together we stand for a Europe that respects national sovereignty [and] is proud of its cultural and religious roots.”
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Orbán, who has long faced criticism for weakening democratic institutions, eroding media freedom and undermining the rule of law, is facing an unprecedented challenge from a former top member of his own party, Péter Magyar. » | Ashifa Kassam | Friday, January 16, 2026
One thing I notice is that Giorgia Meloni and these other politicians endorsing traditional lifestyles are no strangers to hypocrisy. It seems to be a case of… ‘don’t do as I do; do as I say.’
If Hungarians are wise, they will replace Viktor Orbán with a more moderate leader. Orbán needs a rest from politics; and Europe needs a rest from his politics! Europeans are surely tired of his fossilized thinking. As for those endorsements, I am not so sure that an endorsement from Javier Milei, the leader of Argentina with his anarcho-capitalistic ideas, is very reassuring to the Hungarian electorate! And do the others really live up to the principles they espouse? A quick Google-search of these characters tells you all you need to know. — © Mark Alexander
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