Hungary (Reuters) - Supporters of Hungary's right-wing Fidesz party in Ercsi may not have met a refugee but there's one thing they know for sure: they don't want them in their town.Three years after hundreds of thousands of refugees crossed into Hungary en route from the Middle East and Africa to western Europe residents of this sleepy town south of Budapest say concerns about a migrant "invasion" will be a decisive factor when they vote in national elections on April 8.That suits Fidesz and its leader Prime Minister Viktor Orban who has appealed to the anxieties of his core supporters with talk about the importance of "ethnic homogeneity"."Europe is now under invasion," Orban told a rally in Budapest on March 15 "Their (the opposition's) task is to win power and implement the grand plan: to break Hungary which stands in the path of immigrants."Orban's pledge to preserve Hungary's sovereignty and uphold Christian values has delivered landslide victories in the past two parliamentary elections and is likely to do the same in April.Orban is seen as one of Europe's most divisive leaders human rights chief Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein recently accused him of being a racist and xenophobe after he said he did not want his country to be "multi-colored".Hungary's foreign minister responded that the comments were "outrageous" and called on Zeid to resign.Most of the voters interviewed by Reuters in Ercsi said they had never met a refugee but that did not stop them identifying immigrants as a danger."We are enough as we are We don't need any migrants," said Maria Pulai who has been an Orban supporter for more than two decades and now actively campaigns for Fidesz.She proudly showed a photo with the Hungarian leader taken on her mobile phone when he visited Ercsi to support the local party candidate."I have never met (any refugees)," Pulai said with the trace of a smile "But I watch television all the time so I've learned a lot We do not need them here."SHIFT FURTHER RIGHTOrban has been hitting the country's anti-immigration nerve ever since migrants fleeing war and economic hardship started crossing Hungary's southern border with Serbia in 2015 leading Budapest to shut off the route with a border fence.The flow slowed to a trickle in 2016 but Orban has kept up the rhetoric and it is now the backbone of his election agenda.With his firm grip on state media and his business allies in control of regional newspapers Orban's message gets amplified in places like Ercsi where many people only watch the state news channel showing immigrants causing trouble in western European cities night after night.Orban's original vision was that Fidesz would aim to dominate Hungarian politics over the next two decades by standing up for national interests.He appealed to conservative Hungarians who believe their country is struggling to protect its identity a strategy which has worked partly due to a fragmented opposition.Now he appears to be also seeking to occupy some of the far-right territory abandoned by the radical nationalist opposition party Jobbik which has toned down its message in an attempt to move toward the center The shift further to the right and to radicalization could be risky for Orban because it's a "one-way street" director of liberal Hungarian thinktank Political Capital."Fidesz has closed itself into a cage with this campaign which is targeted at its core voters," Kreko said.In February Jobbik teamed up with the Socialists and the small liberal party LMP to back an independent candidate in a by-election in southern Hungary and unexpectedly beat Fidesz But it is reluctant to form alliance with the left for the parliamentary elections.If Jobbik and the left manage to coordinate and field joint candidates then Fidesz could be in trouble will come in April," he said.Fidesz's voter base has changed in recent years with some educated conservative voters disappointed by the emphasis on populist anti-migrant messages at the expense of measures to improve healthcare and education.The party has gained ground with the less educated and pensioners instead allies in dismantling communism during the 1980s Orban accuses Soros of interfering in Hungarian politics by supporting opposition groups Soros has described Orban as a dangerous autocrat.ECONOMY ON TRACKFidesz won the last parliamentary election in 2014 comfortably with 2.26 million votes Political analysts estimate the party's core supporters this time at between 1.8 to 2.2 million.According to Hungarian thinktank Policy Agenda Fidesz's support in 2014 was strongest in small towns and villages where jobs are scarce and many people are employed in public works programs and it has probably managed to retain this support.On a sunny Sunday in nearby Dunaujvaros opposite the huge concrete gates of the former communist steelworks locals flock to a market where they can buy cheap clothes Fidesz is campaigning actively on the ground.Pal Balonyi a 68-year-old pensioner going to the market with his granddaughter said he has always been a conservative voter and will vote for Fidesz again in April even if he does not agree with all of the government's policies.Balonyi who worked in Germany for three years as a house painter said Orban had put the economy on the right track and had a clear national vision."And he has put Western politicians right and we are treated like second-class citizens everywhere."Editing by Sonya Hepinstall Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab , opens new tab Browse an unrivalled portfolio of real-time and historical market data and insights from worldwide sources and experts. , opens new tabScreen for heightened risk individual and entities globally to help uncover hidden risks in business relationships and human networks. © 2025 Reuters. All rights reserved Sign in Join now, it's FREE! to the late Imre and Imrene Maros.  Margaret (Sugar) Maros (Downey) of Barrie Leslie was called home to Glory on December 12 2021 and Margaret was called home to Glory on December 21 2021 surrounded by their loving children and grandchildren at their bedside Leslie arrived on the shores of Nova Scotia He travelled with the Ercsi boys to Alberta to work in the sugar beet fields He made his way back East and by the late 50’s moved to Montreal He began learning his trade as a drywall finisher and met the love of his life Margaret left her home of North Preston in the late 50’s she chose to take flight and move to Montreal Here she continued to work as a Nurse and where she met the man of her dreams They were so much in love and were very dedicated to each other The two were married for 55 years and had two beautiful children Margaret was a member of Maple View Community Church; a God fearing and praying woman she was a woman of strong faith who loved the Lord Leslie and Margaret left Montreal and transitioned to Toronto (Bond Head) where they settled with their family.  They both looked forward to spending time with family from out of town and it was time well spent Margaret and Leslie touched the hearts of all who they came in contact with them Margaret had the biggest most infectious smile that lifted all around her Leslie’s extraordinary accent always amused his extended family Margaret came from a large family of 15 siblings they loved each other and were very closely knitted Leslie also came from a large family of 12 siblings Leslie and Margaret loved spending time with family and friends One of their favourite things to do together was to watch Toronto and Montreal battle it out on the ice Leslie was a die-hard Leaf fan and Margaret loved her Canadians Margaret enjoyed talking on the phone with her friends Leslie and Margaret are survived by their son Laslo Maros and daughter Yulianna Maros; 5 grandchildren 1 great grand and 2 great grands on the way Steve Elder and Mike MacEachern (deceased) Margaret is survived by his brothers; Flemming Sr Margaret was predeceased by her husband Leslie Maros Special nieces; Myra Dunkley and Cora Downey Leslie and Margaret Maros will be deeply missed by their children Visitation will take place at the Adams Funeral Home A Private Service will follow and can be viewed at the link below: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88927116185?pwd=RjBIdG9oZzlWSXR3SlBqTmtPMlovdz09 Messages of condolence may be forwarded to the family through adamsfuneralhome.ca we can catch a glimpse of the medieval Hungarian countryside as it looked 500 years ago thanks to a groundbreaking project by Salisbury Ltd. a leading European firm in archaeology and heritage conservation The company’s latest research reconstructs what rural settlements in the Kingdom of Hungary may have looked like before the Ottoman conquest The project, led by archaeologist József Hoffmann, involved creating a comprehensive digital reconstruction of the medieval village of Besnyő, located near present-day Ercsi, Salisbury reports the model offers a rare visual insight into a world that was largely destroyed or abandoned during the Turkish wars Hoffmann notes that this research diverges from typical archaeological efforts focused on churches or castles instead illuminating the everyday life of rural Hungary The remnants of the medieval village lie hidden beneath the soil on the banks of the Danube near Ercsi the village’s name hints that it was once inhabited by the Pechenegs Aerial images reveal the layout of the late medieval settlement and serf estates still discernible due to the small mounds left behind by the collapsed structures from the Ottoman period The Salisbury research team utilised a combination of cutting-edge technologies to accurately recreate the medieval landscape Drone footage was used to create a topographical model and geophysical measurements helped identify the location of the village church and surrounding walls Laser scanning (LIDAR) from a helicopter provided a detailed point cloud of the area revealing that the village was originally situated on an island in the Danube an area that has since filled in with sediment By integrating these methods with Building Information Modeling (BIM) the researchers produced a 3D model of the entire village and its surroundings The reconstruction includes around fifty buildings The research highlights a significant transformation in housing during the 14th and 15th centuries multi-room above-ground houses gradually replaced the older both types of dwellings coexisted for some time The reconstruction also sheds light on the structure of medieval villages Houses were usually enclosed by fences to keep livestock from wandering off which could be accessed via gates at the back of the properties separating the village from the open fields and pastures The digital reconstruction provides a vivid look at what medieval villages may have looked like Besnyő was chosen for the project because the site has remained largely untouched since the village was abandoned Unlike other areas that were ploughed over in later centuries Besnyő’s house sites remain intact beneath the soil offering a rare opportunity for further exploration the team hopes to involve archaeology and architecture students in continued research and excavations These efforts will provide more detailed insights into the construction methods of medieval buildings and deepen our understanding of life in rural Hungary before the Ottoman occupation and website in this browser for the next time I comment Y"},"category":false,"taxonomy":{"active":false,"name":"category"}},"markup":{"custom_html":true,"wpp-start":"","wpp-end":"<\/ul>","title-start":"","title-end":"<\/h2>","post-html":"{thumb} {title} {stats}<\/span>{excerpt}<\/p><\/li>"},"theme":{"name":""}} You have successfully joined our subscriber list SupportUs Newsletter © 2025 DailyNewsHungary | All rights reserved