Hungary has massively rejected veteran autocrat Orbàn and his oligarchy at the ballot box, despite his controlled state and private media flooding the country with classic negative messages. The rejection was a massacre with two-thirds of parliamentary seats won by the opposition TISZA party, which campaigned against corruption, mending fences with the EU, less kowtowing to Russia, etc.
The new Hungarian leader is Péter Magyar, 45 years old. Commentators have analysed how his conciliatory, conservative ideas and charisma carried the day. But they have overlooked one huge electoral advantage: his name translates as Peter Hungary! Yeah folks, his family name is the same as his country (and its original tribe), so who wouldn’t vote for him?
What an exciting lesson for political parties elsewhere in the world, to improve their electoral chances with candidates similarly named. Imagine George Britain (GB on all their cars already), or François France (Anatole France was a respected literary figure), or a female India India (double banger), or Nariko Nippon (first name means Thunder), or Ann Aotearora. You know where this is going, so no drum roll: come on down Daryl Australia. A sure-fired true blue electoral winner!
Magyar’s first name Péter, with that stylish accent e, is also exciting news. Over ten years ago, we reported the dramatic demise of Peters in Australia, as it had long disappeared from the top 100 boys birth name list. The challenge these days is to find Peters under 70 y.o, as we shuffle off this mortal coil Down Under (as it were), without replacements. Peter now occupies 301st position here, just behind Edward.
In Hungary, Péter is in 30th position in boys name lists, and with their new youthful leader setting a shining example, I’m hopeful that he’ll be a beacon of Peterdom for the world and bump up Peter stocks, maybe with that fancy accent.
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