The Center for Fundamental Rights held a press conference at the venue for CPAC Hungary 2026, the MTK Sports Centre in Budapest, Hungary the day before the illustrious event, on Friday, 20 March.

Alas, Director General Miklós Szánthó of the Center for Fundamental Rights opened the presser with some tragic news. A terror attack was carried out by anti-Israel Islamist extremists in Pardubice, Czechia. Thus, Prime Minister Andrej Babiš of Czechia, originally slated to be one of the speakers at CPAC Hungary, was forced to turn around despite being only about a 30-minute drive away from the Hungarian border, Mr Szánthó shared.

He stressed that this unfortunate event underscores the need for European nations for the stability and peace that the right-wing government provides in Hungary. The speaker also pointed out that, due to mass migration, Western European nations are now under a high level of threat from Islamic terror, unlike Hungary. That is why it is important to stand up to the ‘globalists from Brussels’ in the next Hungarian election three weeks from now, he added.

Matt Schlapp, Chairman of the American Conservative Union, was also at the press conference. ACU is behind the CPAC brand. He told the press that the ‘uncontrolled migration’ under President Biden put the United States at similar risk as well; and that Americans are praying for those who suffered losses in the attack on Czechia. He also urged the ‘freedom-fighting democracies’ of the world to unite in their fight against terror.

Mr Szánthó and Mr Schlapp then went on to guide the reporters on a tour of the impressive venue for CPAC Hungary 2026. During the tour, they revealed that Co-Chair of the German Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party Alice Wiedel will be among the speakers, along with President Javier Milei of Argentina. Szánthó described tomorrow’s event as ‘the most impactful CPAC Hungary ever held’.

Director Szánthó also revealed that CPAC Hungary 2026 will feature a total of 667 guests from 51 countries, 45 of whom will be speakers and 182 of whom will be journalists covering the event. Alas, as mentioned before, PM Babiš cannot make it. However, two sitting Prime Ministers will still grace the event with their speeches, Viktor Orbán of Hungary and Irakli Kobakhidze of Georgia, the Director stated.

Mr Schlapp spoke up next, and told the press that CPAC USA is taking place in Dallas, Texas only a few weeks apart from CPAC Hungary. This, unfortunately, limited the number of American speakers available for the Budapest event. Still, Congressmen Russ Fulcher of Idaho and Andy Harris of Maryland will be among the distinguished guests tomorrow. Returning to the topic of the terror attack in Czechia, Mr Schlapp said that Christians around the world are under attack, and he believes this is something the conservatives in the US should put more emphasis on in their messaging in the future.

Hungarian Conservative asked Mr Szánthó if the recent US-Israeli strikes on Iran and its consequent impact on the energy markets had affected the close relationship between the administrations of President Trump and Prime Minister Orbán. The Director replied that no, that bond between the two statesmen is strong enough to withstand even such a crisis. Upon further questioning from the press, he opined on the matter that the national interests of Hungary and the United States do not always overlap, but that is to be expected even among allies in geopolitics. He also stated that PM Orbán and President Trump still share their commitment ot peace in Ukraine, however.

When asked about polling ahead of the upcoming Hungarian parliamentary election, Miklós Szánthó drew a distinction between what he called ‘opinion polls’ and ‘opinion-shaping polls’. He argued that while the former aim to measure genuine voter support, the latter seek to influence public opinion by deliberately underrepresenting certain parties or candidates. ‘Reliable polls’ show the right-wing Fidesz Party ahead in the Hungarian election, he added, which is corroborated by Fidesz’s wins in recent municipal special elections in two Hungarian cities, Balmazújváros and Kazincbarcika.

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