Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has ruled Hungary since 2010. As a self-proclaimed "illiberal", the 61-year-old has often and gladly directed harsh criticism at the EU, but has maintained good relations with Russia and China.
"Reliable ally"
In the run-up to next year's parliamentary elections, the perhaps greatest challenge to date is emerging. This in the form of a well-known figure who on Sunday addressed thousands of supporters in central Budapest.
Our homeland, Hungary, will once again become a proud and reliable ally to Nato. Hungary will once again become a full-fledged member of the EU, says Péter Magyar before jubilant spectators.
The 44-year-old has a long political career behind him in Orbán's right-wing populist ruling party Fidesz, but left in February 2024 due to dissatisfaction with how the party governed the country. Instead, he took over the small party Tisza – which quickly began to climb in the opinion polls.
Patch and repair
In the EU election the same year, they became the second-largest party with nearly 30 percent of the votes, and ahead of next year's parliamentary elections, Magyar has set his sights on the prime minister's post.
If he and the party are elected to govern the country, they will prioritize relations with allies who, according to Magyar, have suffered under Viktor Orbán's rule. Furthermore, the question of Hungarian support for Ukrainian EU membership will be decided by a binding referendum, he says.
Viktor Orbán has since 2010 had a firm grip on power with a two-thirds majority in parliament. But with a campaign focusing on Hungary's stagnant economy, inadequate healthcare, and corruption, Tisza has, according to some opinion polls, overtaken Fidesz with a year to go until the parliamentary elections.
"Is blind"
Whoever thinks that things are going well for this country is blind. Orbán and his circle are the main cause of the problems, says Nóra Farkas, who was at Magyar's mass meeting and is hopeful ahead of the election, to the news agency AP.
From the stage, Magyar says that Orbán's system cannot be patched up.
This system can only be replaced, and that is what we will do – legally, democratically, but with determination, we will get rid of the regime.
