“I am a proud straight [man]”, Gábor Vona said at a press conference on Friday. “Whatever Terry Black has said is a lie,” he added, referring to the former transgender performer’s televised remarks.

Vona branded Black’s comments as “a new low in the character assassination campaign” against him.

Vona said that contrary to Black’s remarks, he had never attended “homosexual parties” nor does he intend to in the future.

He said he took responsibility for everything he did in his life but not for things he did not do. “I am not susceptible to blackmail,” Vona insisted.

He said that during the time period referred to in the TV2 programme he had regularly attended intellectual gatherings made up of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s civic circles.

Vona called on Orbán not to “be so petty” and “act like a kindergartener”.

He suggested that “the prime minister is frustrated” by the political standoff between Fidesz and Jobbik over the latter’s precondition that it would only support the government-initiated constitutional amendment bill stating that foreign nationals cannot be resettled in Hungary if the government scraps the residency bond scheme.

But this is not reason enough for the prime minister to try to smear him, Vona said.

Vona predicted that Jobbik would win the 2018 general election but stressed that his party would not “engage in such smears” during that campaign.

Republished with permission of Hungary Matters, MTI’s daily newsletter.

MTI photo: Mohai Balázs