Alexandra Szentkirályi
A new year is coming, and in some countries that means the next year will begin with austerity measures, cutbacks, or even war loans. Hungary, however, will not be a country at war, which means we will not spend the money of the Hungarian people on a war. Therefore, we will have the resources to support the Hungarian people and Hungarian families. A lot of things will happen from the beginning of next year, so I will cheat a bit to make sure I don’t leave anything out of the list.
Let’s begin with support for families, as the tax allowance for children will be doubled. This will mean 20,000 forints for families with one child, 40,000 forints for families with two children, and for those raising three or more children, it will mean 66,000 forints per child in assistance and relief.
A lifelong personal income tax exemption will be launched for parents under 30 with one child, and for parents under 40 with two children. The increase of the minimum wage and the guaranteed wage minimum will begin. For the minimum wage, this will mean 322,800 forints, and the guaranteed wage minimum will rise to 373,200 forints.
Furthermore, the 11-point corporate tax reduction program will begin. This means that small and medium-sized enterprises will be able to save a total of 80–90 billion forints.
The 13th month pension will also arrive, and alongside it, the introduction of the 14th month pension begins — its first installment will also arrive — and the general pension increase continues, meaning that the average pension will now exceed 250,000 forints.
A net 1 million forint housing support program will be launched for public-sector employees, because our aim is that everyone should be able to live in a home of their own according to their means.
Six months of “weapon money” will be provided to armed forces and law enforcement personnel, and teacher salary increases will continue. This means that next year the average teacher salary will rise to 936,000 forints.
In addition, the wage increase for those working in public administration, social and cultural sectors will also begin at the start of the year — this is a 15% raise, which they truly deserve. The three-stage wage increase for judicial employees will also continue — I won’t go into details, but judges, clerks, and court employees can expect significant pay raises as well.
And the residential energy storage program will be launched. This is a relatively recent announcement, meaning that a non-refundable grant of 2.5 million forints will be provided to families who have or plan to install solar panels for the purchase and installation of a battery or, if needed, an inverter.
So this means that while others — other countries — will start the new year by burdening their people and pouring enormous amounts of money into fueling the machinery of war, we will resist this pressure, and we will spend the money that our economy allows us to spend on the Hungarian people.
🧠 Fidesz Communication Techniques in This Text
1️⃣ Panic framing: the world is dark, Hungary is the exception
“There are countries where austerity… war loans…”
Technique:
- Constructing an external threat
- “Others struggle → we alone are smart / safe”
➡️ Identity-building: Hungary = the island of peace.
2️⃣ False causal connection
“We don’t spend money on war → we can support families”
Manipulation:
- Well-being is presented as dependent on external factors (war)
- Distracts from actual economic causes (tax system, inflation, frozen EU funds)
➡️ Artificial linkage: peace → economic success
As if the country’s finances simply depended on “not being at war.”
3️⃣ A list of cash giveaways — directly aimed at voters
“doubles”, “arrives”, “continues”, “launches”
Communication goal:
- A stream of small benefits → illusion of prosperity
- The government framed as a generous giver rather than responsible manager
➡️ Voters should feel: “I’m getting something, I should be grateful.”
4️⃣ Number manipulation
- No reference to inflation
- Real value of minimum wage raise omitted
- “Average pension above 250,000 HUF” → median ~180,000 HUF unmentioned
➡️ Only the nominal success exists — the real reality does not.
5️⃣ Teacher salary increase — politically weaponized
“will rise to 936,000 HUF”
Manipulation:
- Using “average salary” → distorted by highest earners
- Missing fact: this raise was forced by the EU reforms
➡️ Framed as if the government raised wages out of benevolence.
6️⃣ “Us vs. Them” — emotional polarization
“other countries… burden citizens… fuel war machine”
Enemy designation:
- Whoever isn’t with us → war supporter
- Criticism = serving foreign interests
➡️ Polarization: “only we protect the people.”
7️⃣ Economic “success” is the property of the ruling party
“the potential of the Hungarian economy allows it”
Technique:
- Success is owned by the government
- Failures blamed on external actors
➡️ Classic populism: government = benevolent father figure.
📌 Summary — What is the message?
| Hidden Claim | Communication Function |
|---|---|
| The world is drifting into war | Fear induction |
| Only we protect the country | Creating dependency |
| Support us → your benefits are safe | Reward framing |
| Economic well-being is in our hands | Centralization, loyalty pressure |
🧩 This is not economic policy: this is a campaign speech using the budget as a tool.
Core message: “Vote for us, or there will be war and you lose your benefits.”
It’s hard to even list the countless government measures that, as of today, further strengthen Hungarian families and pensioners:
✅ The tax allowance for children is being doubled
✅ Income tax exemption for mothers continues to expand
✅ Minimum wage and guaranteed minimum wage are increasing
✅ An 11-point corporate tax reduction program is starting
✅ The 13th and 14th month pensions are arriving
✅ A 1-million-forint home support allowance is provided to public sector employees
✅ Six months’ worth of “fegyverpénz” (security service bonus) is granted to workers in armed and defense forces
⚠️ The teacher pay raise continues
⚠️ Salary increases begin for employees in the administrative, social and cultural sectors
⚠️ Judges’ salaries continue to rise
⚡ A new household energy-storage support program is launching
Hungary continues to send neither money nor weapons to the war. We spend the results of the Hungarian economy on the people — everyone deserves it!
🟠 Actions instead of words!
🧩 RHETORICAL & PROPAGANDA ANALYSIS OF SZENTKIRÁLYI’S POST
🎯 1️⃣ Main Frame: “The government as the benevolent savior”
The list only highlights:
- handouts
- wage increases
- tax benefits
👉 It removes why these are needed (inflation, austerity).
👉 Core message: “All good things come from the government.”
🧨 2️⃣ Eliminating Context — Half of the Story
Missing from the narrative:
- real wage loss due to inflation
- budget cuts to municipalities and public services
- 13th–14th month pension = restoring something once taken away
- minimum wage increases driven by the market, not generosity
🔧 Technique: Only the positive effects, never the costs.
🦸 3️⃣ Self-Mythology: “We protect the Hungarian people”
Quote:
“Hungary will not send money or weapons to the war.”
This has nothing to do with the list:
It sneaks in fear-based polarization:
- If you oppose the government → you must be pro-war
- Opposition = danger
🧮 4️⃣ Basket Strategy: Give everyone something
The list covers:
- families
- pensioners
- teachers
- civil servants
- business owners
- judges
- armed forces
👉 Goal: Everyone finds a reason to feel rewarded.
👉 Hidden purpose: vote maximization.
🎢 5️⃣ The Performance Illusion: Quantity > Quality
“It’s hard to even list all the measures…”
The many checkmarks create the illusion of achievement:
- no data
- no outcomes
- no real impact assessment
📌 Irony: “Actions not words!” — but it’s entirely words.
⚙️ 6️⃣ Economic Populism
“We spend the results of the economy on the people.”
Implies:
- money is produced by the state
- debt, deficit, and taxes are ignored
→ False narrative: government wealth doesn’t come from taxpayers
🧠 Summary of Propaganda Techniques
| Technique | How it appears | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Positive framing | Only benefits listed | Generate gratitude |
| Fear injection | “We stay out of the war” | Create a threatening enemy |
| Broad targeting | Benefits for all social groups | Electoral expansion |
| Context removal | No mention of inflation or cuts | Avoid accountability |
| Quantity storytelling | Bullet list overload | Illusion of competence |
🎤 True Meaning Behind the Post
“The government is generous,
your life depends on us,
and everyone who criticizes us wants war.”
The post does not inform — it manipulates emotion:
gratitude, fear, and dependency.