President Donald Trump’s administration is promoting former Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for UN secretary-general, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. Under the plan, Orban would be a joint candidate of the U.S., Russia and China.
According to an editorial in the newspaper, sources in three countries confirmed reports of support for Orban. The United States encouraged the former Hungarian prime minister to enter the race and even presented him with a preliminary idea. According to the paper, the plan is awaiting a final decision.
According to a U.S. diplomat quoted by the WSJ, Russia and China support the idea, and the plan would have Orban serve as a joint candidate of the major powers.
“As officials from the United States and another country told us, when the United States, Russia and China want the same thing at the UN Security Council, they usually get it,” the newspaper wrote.
According to a State Department official, Orban can easily secure at least eight votes on the Security Council, with two more within his reach. To receive the council’s recommendation, a candidate must win at least nine votes without a veto from any of the five permanent members (the U.S., China, Russia, France and the United Kingdom).
The paper acknowledges that there are many reasons the former Hungarian prime minister would not be a good candidate, including “for example, that he would be an apologist for Vladimir Putin and other dictators.” But according to the source quoted, Orban is a “dream candidate for MAGA conservatives.”
President Trump endorsed Orban in Hungary’s April election, which Orban lost. The candidacy for UN secretary-general is expected to be revealed after the U.S. election on Nov. 3.
The Hungarian himself reportedly signaled openness after hearing the proposal, though with “reservations.” The WSJ writes that he prefers not to reveal his candidacy until he is certain he will win.
Lana Nusseibeh, the former United Arab Emirates ambassador to the UN, has openly declared her candidacy. The newspaper assesses that she has the right qualifications, but that the Emirates’ support for the brutal rebel Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s civil war could be a liability.
According to the paper, the other candidates for UN secretary-general are mostly “secretaries,” or international bureaucrats, while Orban would be a “general.” The State Department official agreed, adding that Orban has the right ideology, knows how to wield power in the face of hostility and will not be intimidated by the establishment.
The term of current UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expires at the end of this year.
By Oskar Górzyński (PAP), Washington
