Hungary can play the role of a bridge between the East and the West, Hungarian conservative presidential candidate Katalin Novák told weekly magazine Mandiner in a recent interview.
“Hungary is the center of our hearts, and we can be the heart of Europe as well. We can help build a bridge between west and east, north and south while strengthening the external borders. It’s exciting how our relationship is developing with the United States, Latin America, Africa, or the rapidly evolving Asian region,” Novák told the publication.
“There is a fierce struggle in the world not only for financial resources, but also for increasing political influence. We need to set up an ideological Cold War where freedom and freedom are at odds. So there is a task. I will not be an idle head of state in the international arena either,” she added.
Asked for her view on the most crucial challenges Hungary is facing today, Novák mentioned the coronavirus pandemic and a rise in inflation.
“In the short run, the epidemic is unpredictable and inflation is higher than usual. If we look further and higher at the Hungarian-ness of the Carpathian Basin, the most important thing is for Hungary to remain a Hungarian country,” insisted Novák, who called for her generation to “fulfill the legacy we owe to more than a thousand years of statehood, culture, and history.”
Asked about her main political achievements so far, Novák said the government’s family policies which she has implemented and overseen since 2020 have proven to be a major success.
“I try to express my greatest pride in numbers: 220,000 more children have been born since 2010 than if everything had remained the same. This result is largely due to ever-expanding family benefits.
“In Europe, the desire to have children has grown the most in Hungary — that alone means 123,000 more children in ten years. The number of abortions fell by 41 percent — this is another 100,000 lives born! It’s heartwarming to think about how many mothers and fathers these babies bring joy to,” Novák said, but declined to speak about further plans in that respect.
“Now that I have completed eight years of family policy work, it would not be appropriate for me to assign tasks to my future successor. That is why I am not talking about further challenges now.”
Parliament will elect Hungary’s new President for the next five years on March 10 and, if elected, Novák would become Hungary’s first female president.
