Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his wife have built a “Putin-esque, shameful dacha” near Budapest, worth an estimated 15-20 billion forints (38-50 million euros), Peter Magyar, leader of Hungary's most important opposition party, TISZA, wrote on Facebook on Thursday.
“Hatvanpuszta has become a symbol of Orbán's corruption, arrogance, ostentation, and grandiosity,” Magyar wrote on Facebook on Thursday. “In a country where there's no money for disinfectants for hospitals and hundreds of thousands of children don't have healthy food, he built his Putin-style dacha. Shame and inhumanity,” the TISZA leader said.
The Hatvanpuszta estate, owned by the Orban family, is a historic manor house that, in its origins dating back to the 19th century, served as a model farm from the time of the Habsburg Empire.
The historic manor house was bought by the Hungarian Prime Minister's father in 2011 and underwent a thorough modernization, transforming it into a luxurious residence, Hungarian media recalled.
Journalist Szabolcs Panyi compared it to “the infamous residence of (former Ukrainian president – PAP) Viktor Yanukovych in Mezhyhirya.” In recent weeks, a video showing zebras grazing on the property has caused quite a stir on social media. The animals, local media reported, belong to Lorinc Meszaros, Hungary's richest businessman.
Most polls published in recent months give TISZA a 9 to 18 percentage point lead over Orbán's ruling Fidesz party. Parliamentary elections in Hungary are scheduled to take place in April of next year.
From Budapest Jakub Bawołek (PAP)
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