Slovak and Czech Prime Ministers Fico and Babiš support Orban for parliamentary elections

Slovak and Czech Prime Ministers Robert Fico and Andrej Babiš today separately expressed support for Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the upcoming parliamentary elections, pointing to his strong commitment to his country's interests.

Fico today wished his Hungarian counterpart Viktor Orban "all his political goals in the upcoming parliamentary elections" to be achieved, which are taking place on Sunday, April 12th.

"During my long political career, I have never met someone who stands so strongly for the sovereignty and national interests of his own country as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán," Fico wrote on the X network.

He said he would follow the parliamentary elections in Hungary from Vietnam, where he is on a short official visit. He also added that he and Orban together “invest a lot of energy in cultivating high-quality friendly relations between our countries and ensuring a superior position for national minorities.”

Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babiš supported Orban ahead of the election, stating that he is the best choice for Hungarian interests and stability in turbulent times.

"I support Viktor Orban on Sunday. He has always fought for a stronger Europe, built on peace, sovereign peoples, sovereign member states, competitiveness," Babiš wrote today on the Iks network.

"In turbulent times, choosing stability and proven leadership is more important than ever," Babiš wrote.

Babiš, a businessman and billionaire, has grown from a liberal, pro-EU politician to a close ally of Orban in their Patriots for Europe group in the European Parliament.

Since returning to power last year after a period in opposition, the Czech Republic has reduced its aid to Ukraine and refused to participate in a 90 billion euro EU loan to Kiev. The Czech position on Russia, however, has remained more in line with the EU's main line than that of Hungary and Slovakia.

According to polls, Orban, a nationalist who has repeatedly opposed Brussels and maintains friendly ties with the Kremlin, could be ousted after 16 years in power by his former ally, opposition leader Peter Magyar.