This Sunday, Hungarians go to the polls for the parliamentary elections. It’s expected current Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his centre-right Fidesz Party will lead the polls, although their chances of winning a majority are lower than the previous elections. The leader’s commitment to cut household energy bills, raise teacher salaries, cut the budget deficit and hike taxes on banks have not been entirely overshadowed by political infighting and claims of repression of the press. Despite the expected outcome, there’s one political party which could steal the show this weekend – the far-right Jobbik Party.

The party, largely seen as anti-Semitic, launched its campaign to woo voters here – in a former synagogue. The leader on the left spoke in the venue where a commemorative plaque hangs on the wall, remembering 500 local Jews killed in the Holocaust.

Four years ago, Hungary’s political scene was rocked after Jobbik came third in parliamentary elections. With its mere annual budget of USD 2.3 million, many thought the party would collapse. It hasn’t. Now it has over a quarter of a million Facebook followers. And with an agenda which includes a crackdown on crime, economy reform and referendum on EU membership, the party is now battling the leftist opposition for second place. Hungarians students, discontent with post-communist governments, believe the party can help them secure their and their country’s freedom. This was echoed by a Jobbik lawmaker.

Marton Gyongyosi, Jobbik lawmaker:

“Those who are there to be destructive and to harm the collectivity or the community or the society are going to be our enemies and we are going to be after them.”

Jews and other minorities in Hungary were outraged after the lawmaker requested a list of parliamentarians with Jewish ancestry to be drawn up who he believed posed a ‘national threat’. He later apologized and claimed he had been misquoted. In the run-up to this Sunday’s election, he said the party focused not on skin colour or race but on who contributes to society. Experts say the party’s success could be reflected in the up-and-coming European elections.

Peter Kreko, Political Capital think-tank:

“A slightly better result than in 2010 could help Jobbik a lot to mobilize its voter base again one and a half months later in the European Parliamentary elections.”

Jobbik are hoping to follow the path of France’s National Front which recently did well in municipal elections, rising on an anti-EU, anti-immigrant agenda.

(Source: JN1)