Orbán and Magyar trade accusations in last days of Hungary election campaign | Hungary
Viktor Orbán and his centre-right rival Péter Magyar have shared accusations that they are resorting to foreign interference in a high-stakes election that polls suggest could mark the end of the nationalist Hungarian prime minister’s 16-year rule.
As the two leaders’ campaigns enter their final stages ahead of this weekend’s elections, which are being watched closely in Brussels, Moscow and Washington as well as in Budapest, Orbán said on social media on Friday that his rival “will do everything to seize power.”
The prime minister claimed that Magyar and his Tisza party, which has a double-digit lead over Orbán’s far-right Fidesz in most polls, had “colluded” with foreign intelligence and threatened supporters of the ruling party with violence.
“This is an organized attempt to use chaos, pressure and international slander to question the decision of the Hungarian people,” Orbán said, adding that Hungary needed “unity and security” and that change would “threaten everything we have built together.”
Magyar, a former Fidesz supporter who left the ruling party two years ago accusing it of corruption and propaganda, responded by saying Orbán “will be deposed by the same people he abandoned and betrayed”: millions of Hungarians.
Magyar added in his social media post: “Fidesz’s months of election fraud, as well as criminal actions, intelligence operations, disinformation and fake news, cannot change the fact that Tisza will win this election.”
He called on voters “not to be fooled by provocation” and said Orbán, whose transformation of Hungary into what he called “an illiberal democracy” has inspired far-right leaders and led to violent clashes with the EU, should “honorably accept the decision of the Hungarian people”.
The 62-year-old populist prime minister is the EU’s most Moscow-friendly leader, and recent allegations of Russian election interference and revelations that Orbán’s ministers shared classified EU information with Moscow have sparked outrage across the bloc.
Government spokesmen have sought to portray a series of leaks revealing Budapest’s close ties with Moscow – including the transcript of a conversation between Orbán and Russian President Vladimir Putin – as evidence of foreign interference.
While opinion polls show Magyar ahead, observers warn that the electoral system is complex and districts have been redrawn in favor of Fidesz. Some think Tisza needs a six-point lead in the national vote to secure a majority in parliament.
Both candidates held rallies with Magyar supporters on Friday in Hatvan, about 35 miles (60 km) east of Budapest, and said they hoped, above all, for a change from the Orbán era, where nepotism, corruption and a stagnant economy increased.
“I really hope that there will be some change in Hungary, because we really need it,” said Xenia, one of the enthusiastic crowd of hundreds who asked not to be fully identified. “16 years later [finally] “There is at least some hope for now.”
When asked about Magyar’s situation, he said: “Four years ago we tried to change the regime, but the candidate was not strong enough. [Magyar] It can attract many more people around it. “I don’t know if it will work, but this is the first chance we have to actually change something and we would be stupid not to try.”
Another Hungarian supporter, Levente Kohári, said he was particularly disturbed by the state of the Hungarian economy and the allegations of misuse of public funds. “I don’t want to pay taxes to a state where my tax money is wasted,” he said.
Kohári said he hoped to see the 45-year-old opposition leader adopt a pro-business platform, pushing for more supportive regulations to help young entrepreneurs like himself and making the most of EU membership.
Meanwhile, around 2,000 Orban supporters have gathered in Debrecen, Hungary’s second-largest city and a long-time Fidesz stronghold, and are expected to head towards Tisza on Sunday, with protesters chanting “dirty Fidesz” and “Russians go home”.
“I don’t trust Magyar; one day later he turned around and stabbed Fidesz in the back,” said 55-year-old taxi driver Attila Szoke.
Orbán’s four successive governments since 2010 have eroded the rule of law in Hungary, packing the courts with judges loyal to him and turning 80% of the country’s media into a propaganda machine for him and Fidesz.
He has repeatedly clashed with Brussels, which has suspended billions of euros in EU funding over policies such as immigration, justice, LGBTQ+ rights and sanctions against Russia, as well as aid to Ukraine, which it has consistently blocked.
Under Orbán, Budapest has also become a key ally in the EU of Donald Trump, whose national security strategy aims to strengthen the forces disrupting the EU. Trump’s vice president, JD Vance, was in the Hungarian capital this week to support Orbán.
Throughout the night, the US president posted on the Truth Social platform: “GO OUT AND VOTE FOR VİKTOR ORBÁN. He is a true friend, warrior and WINNER and has my Complete and Complete Endorsement. I AM ALWAYS WITH HIM!”
