Fidesz congress to re-elect Orban as party leader

BUDAPEST, June 13. /TASS/. A congress of Hungary’s Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Alliance will be held in Budapest, with delegates set to re-elect former Prime Minister Viktor Orban as party chairman and discuss a new strategy following the party’s transition into opposition after 16 years in power.

According to party spokesman Bertalan Havasi, Orban is expected to be the only candidate for the leadership of Fidesz as no other politicians have emerged who could lead the party out of its current crisis.

"Without him, the party cannot maintain its unity," said Gergely Gulyas, head of the party’s parliamentary faction and former chief of staff to the prime minister.

The party leadership has recommended Orban for re-election, while he himself has expressed readiness to remain at the helm "in an era of change." He said Fidesz needs "a complete renewal," structural reform, and a shift in policy aimed at younger voters. Orban will serve as party chairman without pay.