Hungary’s radical rightwing leader Viktor Orban was the only EU leader not to vote in favor of extending the mandate of President Ursula von der Leyen as President of the European Commission at the European Council summit on June 27.

All 25 leaders voted in favour of the candidates proposed, which also included former Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa as president of the European Council for an initial term of two and a half years and Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas as High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voted against Antonio Costa and Kaja Kallas. Orban abstained on Kallas while voting for Costa.

The agreement splits posts between the European People's Party (EPP) with von der Leyen, the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) with Costas, and the centrist Renew Europe with Kallas.

Hungary cannot support the extension of the mandate of von der Leyen because of the use of the rule of law mechanism against Hungary "on a political basis", Orban told journalists before the summit. He said there were double standards cancellation of the rule of law procedure against Poland after the change of government there.

Five years ago, the Hungarian leader endorsed von der Leyen but since then he has become an ardent critic of the German politician.

The European Commission under her leadership has been critical of Hungary's democratic backsliding, particularly regarding judicial independence, media freedom, and the treatment of NGOs. Disputes over the disbursement of EU funds and economic governance have also played a role in souring relations.

The Hungarian prime minister called von der Leyen a representative of the alleged network of US philanthropist George Soros,  and in the latest election campaign, she was portrayed as the boss of Hungary’s opposition with the latter portrayed as waiters.

Orban said that the European People's Party (EPP), the socialists, and the liberals had formed a coalition "of lies and deception" to name the next leaders of EU institutions.

That agreement was reached not on the basis of programmes, performance, or strategy, but on the basis of party politics, he added. "There is no reason for us to support an abuse of power," he said, pointing to the way the far-right in the European Parliament had been excluded from the discussions, despite increasing their representation in the parliament.

Orban has once again gone up against his closest allies at the EU summit, and no one in Brussels wants to work with Fidesz MEPs, Hungarian opposition leader Peter Tisza said on Facebook. Contrary to tradition, the president of the European Commission is not coming to Budapest at the start of the EU Presidency and the European Parliament will not be hosting the Hungarian prime minister, he said.

Before the European Council summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Orban met in Brussels. The conversation was captured on video but the content of their discussion remains inaudible.