Euroambivalent and Equivocal Euroscepticism: Two Shades of Strategic Ambiguity in the 2024 European Parliament elections in Hungary.

Benedek, István and Sebestyén, Annamária (2025) Euroambivalent and Equivocal Euroscepticism: Two Shades of Strategic Ambiguity in the 2024 European Parliament elections in Hungary. POLITOLOGICKY CASOPIS / CZECH JOURNAL OF POLITICAL SCIENCE (2). pp. 190-221. ISSN 1211-3247

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Abstract

This study examines the dynamics of Euroscepticism in the context of Hungary’s 2024 European Parliament elections, focusing on the discourses of two outright Eurosceptic parties – the populist right-wing Fidesz and the far-right Our Homeland Movement – and the newly formed TISZA Party, which also incorporates certain Eurosceptic elements. Employing a qualitative, single-country case study approach, our analysis draws on party leaders’ speeches, manifestos, campaign statements and other public communications spanning from February 2022 to December 2024. The findings reveal that despite a predominantly pro-European public, the three selected parties espoused moderated and ambiguous Euroscepticism, which proved electorally successful, securing 19 of Hungary’s 21 European Parliament seats and over 80% of the vote. Behind this paradox, our analysis distinguishes between two elite-level strategies: Equivocal Euroscepticism, which strategically oscillates between soft and hard Euroscepticism on the integration dimension without advocating full withdrawal, and Euroambivalent Eurosceptic approach, which navigates between soft Euroscepticism and pro-EU stances on institutional design or certain policies while clearly endorse EU membership. This theoretical innovation provides a novel conceptual framework with broader relevance for comparative analyses of Euroscepticism, offering deeper insights into how domestic political contexts shape distinct party positions on European integration.

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