Hungary Enters Election Season with Orban and Magyar Mobilizing Massive Crowds in Budapest

Tens of thousands of Hungarians are expected to gather for rival rallies in Budapest as Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his main challenger, Peter Magyar, formally launch their campaigns ahead of next year’s national elections. The dueling demonstrations, coinciding with the anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 anti-Soviet uprising, come amid an increasingly polarized political atmosphere.

The commemoration of the failed revolution holds symbolic importance for Orban’s ruling Fidesz party, which once positioned itself as staunchly anti-Soviet but has since aligned more closely with Russia. Fidesz, in power since 2010, announced that it expects a record turnout for its “peace march,” where Orban will address supporters outside the parliament. The event, however, suffered a symbolic setback after it emerged that the much-anticipated Budapest meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin—touted by Orban as a diplomatic success—would not take place.

As Fidesz’s rally winds through the capital, it will intersect with another major gathering—this one organized by Péter Magyar, a former Fidesz insider who has emerged as Orban’s most formidable opponent. Magyar has capitalized on widespread public anger over inflation, corruption scandals, and declining living standards. His newly formed Tisza party, founded earlier this year, is now polling neck-and-neck with Fidesz ahead of the April vote. According to the independent IDEA Institute, Tisza currently holds 37 percent support compared to Fidesz’s 27 percent, though roughly one-quarter of voters remain undecided.

For both sides, Thursday’s rallies are as much about optics as political momentum. Orban hopes to rally his conservative base and attract undecided voters by emphasizing stability and national pride, while Magyar aims to demonstrate growing grassroots strength. The opposition leader has accused the government of using state resources to boost turnout at the Fidesz event, alleging that attendees are being offered free transportation, food, and vouchers. His team has also claimed that authorities pressured bus companies to refuse rental services for the opposition. Fidesz spokesperson Tamás Menczer dismissed these allegations as “fake news.”

Orban, in turn, has labeled Magyar’s gathering a “Brussels war march,” echoing his broader campaign narrative that portrays the opposition as tools of foreign powers. State-aligned media have accused Magyar of serving EU and Ukrainian interests without presenting evidence. The prime minister continues to campaign on nationalist themes, vowing to protect Hungary from migration pressures and to keep the country out of the war in neighboring Ukraine.

By contrast, Magyar presents himself as the anti-corruption candidate, arguing that Fidesz’s long rule has left Hungary as the European Union’s poorest and most corrupt nation. He has pledged to cut dependence on Russian energy and realign Budapest with its Western allies. Over the past three months, he has toured 158 towns and villages, seeking to win over voters in rural areas that have traditionally backed Fidesz.

Political analysts say the race is shaping up to be Orban’s most competitive in over a decade. Péter Krekó of the Political Capital think tank noted that while Hungary’s elections remain formally free, they are far from fair, given the financial and media imbalance between the ruling party and the opposition. He believes the outcome remains open, with both “clever maneuvering and intense campaigning” still capable of tipping the balance in either direction.