HUNGARY - THE CRUCIAL ELECTIONS ON SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2026
HUNGARY – IN A
WEEK!
A little about
the final phase of the election campaign
Europe's problem child goes to the polls in a week. On
Sunday, April 12, they will elect a new parliament. What an election. What
challenges. And what an attempt at election fraud!
Viktor Orbán Peter
Magyar
b. 1963
b. 1981
The election race is between these two people.
In his youth, Viktor Orbán was the chairman of the Young
Communists in Budapest. But as the upheavals of 1989 approached, he changed
horses and became the leader of a new party of young liberals. It was called
and is called FIDESZ. The name means the Alliance of Young Democrats. At the
time – around 1988-89 – it received great support, among others, from the
Hungarian-American billionaire, George Soros, who is still alive at the age of
95. Orbán himself received a scholarship from Soros so that he could study
democracy and English at Cambridge University.
In 2010, Orbán managed to win the parliamentary elections
and become Hungary's prime minister. He has been that way ever since. In the
meantime, he has turned his party FIDESZ in a very conservative and nationalist
direction. Today, he says, among other things, that he and his party are the
only ones in Europe that fight for Christianity and are against everyone who
comes from countries other than Europe. At the same time, he is in reality a
close ally of Vladimir Putin and Russia – and today also of Trump and the MAGA
movement. For example, Orbán's foreign minister, Peter Szijjarto, has admitted
that he systematically calls Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov before,
during and after every summit or meeting of foreign ministers in the EU to tell
him what is being discussed and decided! More on this later.
Peter Magyar was a close ally of Orbán for many years. He
was one of the active members of the FIDESZ party. And his then wife, Judit
Varga, became Minister of Justice in Orbán's government in recent years.
However, their marriage dissolved a few years ago in connection with a
scandalous case of child abuse. Peter Magyar (and Magyar means Hungarian in
Hungarian by the way) has now founded his own party TIZLA (pronounced Tisla).
The Tiszla is a well-known river in Hungary. And the party stands for the Respect
and Freedom Party. The party ran for the most recent elections to the European
Parliament in 2024 – and had many members elected, including Peter Magyar
himself. And the party became a member of the Christian Democratic Group of the
European Parliament – the
largest in the Parliament. Orbán's party was
previously kicked out of this group.
The run-up to the parliamentary elections in Hungary on
Sunday, April 12:
According to the latest opinion poll – described by the
BBC – Magyar has 58% of the vote, but Orbán has 35%. That is a difference,
which is understandable. A short time ago the figures were 52% against 37%.
FIDESZ is running a very aggressive campaign with posters
everywhere. It is mainly an anti-Ukrainian campaign with pictures of President
Zelinski of Ukraine and Peter Magyar together. And with the text: Watch out for
these two. They are dangerous! And at the same time FIDESZ is consistently
saying that if Magyar wins, young Hungarian men will have to go to war in
Ukraine. Other FIDESZ posters say: Let’s stand together against war. And: For
Fidesz – the secure vote!
Orbán also celebrated the Hungarian Revolution Day on
March 15, 1848, with a huge demonstration in Budapest. He and his party had
mobilized 160 double-decker buses to bring 180,000 people from the countryside
to Budapest to shout FIDESZ. And many men dressed in black tried to make sure
everything went the way FIDESZ wanted.
At the same time, Orbán has mobilized as many right-wing
forces in the world as possible to support his cause before the election. On
March 21, the American right-wing organization CPAC held a large meeting in
Budapest. Among those who participated and spoke were Italian Deputy Prime
Minister Matteo Salvini, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze, Dutch
right-wing leader Geert Wilders, Austrian right-wing Freedom Party leader,
Herbert Kickl, and the German right-wing AfD ( Alternative für Deutschland ).
Two days later, on March 23, the parties from Patriots for Europe gathered in
Budapest. Among them was Marine le Pen from the French right-wing party. In her
speech, she called Orbán her best friend. There were also Wilders from the
Netherlands and Salvini from Italy. And many more.
These days – a week before the election – there are many
leaders from the right-wing MAGA movement from the United States in Budapest.
And the idea maker behind Trump's policy, The Heritage Foundation, is also
strongly represented in Budapest these days. On top of all this, President
Trump has sent a very strong personal video message in support of Orbán. And
his Vice President J.D. Vance will come to Budapest on April 7-8 to reinforce
American support for Orbán.
One can reasonably ask what the Americans have to do in a
sovereign European political election. And there are certainly many Hungarian
voters who ask themselves that too!
At the same time, Peter Magyar has said several times
that the Russian influence on the election is, among other things, done by a
cell of IT specialists operating from the Russian embassy in Budapest. However,
this has not been proven.
The EU Commission has deliberately failed to interfere in
order not to be accused of being part of the campaign against Orbán. Otherwise,
it does everything it can to claim that.
In the European Parliament, a very large majority has
very clearly expressed that they clearly want Peter Magyar to win the election.
Peter Magyar and his party Tiszla are running the
election campaign on very clear signals:
• Against corruption
• For a clear improvement in education, transport, health
and the economy – all areas that are currently in great difficulty
• To restore the independence of the media and the
courts, all of which have come under FIDESZ control
• To restore Hungary's positive participation in both the
EU and NATO
The significance of the election result?
In short, Hungary is in a moment of fate. In recent
years, the country has become one of Europe's poorest countries. It wasn't like
that in 1989. Corruption has increased dramatically over the years - with Orbán
and his people at the forefront. And its relationship with the EU is, to say
the least, at breaking point. The EU currently has no rules by which a member
state can be kicked out - regardless of how it behaves. But there are other
ways to tighten the screws on the EU side. For example, it has withheld €18
billion (DKK 134 billion) in aid that Hungary would otherwise have received.
The country is the only EU country that has not received cheap loans for
rearmament from the SAFE program (Security Action for Europe). Up to €150
billion is available. And there are more examples of the same kind.
Since 2010, the Orbán regime has succeeded in taking
control of most things in Hungary. They proudly call it Illiberal Democracy.
They have taken control of, among other things, the economy, the judiciary, the
media, freedoms, etc.
If Magyar wins the election, it will be important that he
wins at least 2/3 of the seats in Parliament. That means he must have at least
133 mandates out of 199 seats. Without a victory like this, it will be
difficult for him to roll back the many undemocratic Orbán decisions, at least
in the upcoming election period.
Let's hope for a good, democratic and peaceful election!
With a good and European result!
Hungary
Size: 93,011 sq.km - Population:
9.8 million
Niels Jørgen Thøgersen
April 5, 2026
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