Former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán rallied behind Marine Le Pen as questions grow over the future leadership of France’s National Rally. He declared that both his personal loyalty and that of his party remain firmly with the RN de facto leader.
Asked about the future of the French Right during a press conference in Brussels, the ex Hungarian prime minister went out of his way to praise Le Pen, describing her as “a legend” and stressing that both his personal loyalty and that of Fidesz remained firmly with her.
“We consider Madame Le Pen a legend,” Orbán said.
“My loyalty personally, and the loyalty of Fidesz, is primarily tied to Madame Le Pen. Whatever happens.”
The remarks stand out at a moment when much of the debate surrounding France’s nationalist movement increasingly revolves around Bardella and the question of who will lead the camp into the future.
Marine Le Pen’s own political future remains uncertain. In March 2025, she was convicted of embezzling European Parliament funds and handed an immediate ban from seeking public office, a ruling that currently excludes her from France’s 2027 presidential election.
Le Pen has appealed the verdict, with a court expected to rule on July 7. If the ban is upheld, National Rally president Jordan Bardella is expected to become the party’s candidate.
The prospect of a Bardella candidacy has intensified debate over the future leadership of France’s patriotic movement, with many across Europe’s Right already viewing the 30-year-old as its next right-wing superstar. He is currently leading the poll in the French presidential election.
However, when question of the French political future, Orbán chose to emphasise the past.
The Hungarian leader revealed that Le Pen had played a decisive role in Fidesz’s strategic realignment after its departure from the European People’s Party. As his party searched for new allies on the European Right, Orbán said several options were considered, including cooperation with Giorgia Meloni’s European Conservatives and Reformists group.
“In the end, Madame Le Pen’s role was decisive,” he said.
“When we left the European People’s Party, there were debates about whether we should join Meloni’s conservatives, what our relationship with AfD should be, or whether we should join the Patriots. In the end, Marine Le Pen’s role was decisive.”
While Orbán stressed that the choice of leader ultimately belongs to French voters and French patriots, he repeatedly returned to Le Pen’s role in building the movement that eventually became Patriots for Europe.
“The Hungarian is a romantic type,” he said with a smile. “Sometimes, even at political cost, we stand by old friendships.”
