Judit Varga and Péter Szijjártó, Ministers of Justice and Foreign Affairs, mobilize considerable resources to promote their image on Facebook, like the Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán. The goal ? Occupy the media space and rejuvenate the audience of the current power, analyzes the Hungarian press.
Hungary’s main influencer, the Prime Minister, Viktor Orbán, showers his million Facebook subscribers with photos and videos, or a tenth of the country’s population. Some pillars of the national-conservative government are just as invested in promoting their image on the platform. The Minister of Justice, Judit Varga, does not skimp on the means in order to stage herself, points out the opposition portal 444.
“Eight people supervise its communication and press activities for an average salary of approximately 721,000 forints gross [2020 euros], while Orbán only tolerates a team of three-four members”, says the webmagazine. Judit Varga “multiply publications” most “bypasses questions from journalists”. An attitude “particularly noticeable” after the revelations about the use of the Pegasus software by the Magyar executive and the corruption scandal responsible for the resignation of its deputy, Pál Völner.
An overabundance of resources
This expensive and studied digital strategy does not prevent hiccups. Wednesday, January 12, after the announcement of the blocking of the price of several foodstuffs popular with Hungarians, a Facebook post by Judit Varga, welcoming a measure that defends the Magyars, “showed the minister pretending to choose meat in a market with a Cartier luxury watch worth 1.5 million forints [4 200 euros] at wrist”, relate
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Joel LePavous