Hungary is bracing for its next general election in April. It is the tightest race since Viktor Orban came to power almost 16 years ago. Challenging Orban is Peter Magyar. Once a member of the ruling Fidesz party, he defected to become its fiercest critic. Compared to the traditional Hungarian opposition, Magyar seems to be more successful. Only a couple of months after launching his own party, TISZA – an acronym that stands for the ‘Respect and Freedom party’ – in 2024, it came second in the European parliament elections. Now, Magyar is aiming for the main prize. He is confident that he can win it.

Orban’s attacks on Magyar have been ruthless, as expected. The media empire Orban has constructed over the years portrays Magyar as a servant of Brussels who wants to drag Hungary into the war in Ukraine. ‘We either take the Brussels road, which leads to war and austerity. Or we go the Hungarian road, which brings peace and development,’ Orban said earlier this week during his annual press conference. It was held in the baroque Carmelita monastery, up in the Buda castle.

It would be too early to write off Orban

‘We don’t want to see the Hungarian prime minister on the front pages of newspapers........

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