Orbán's rival claims attempt at blackmail with intimate video before elections
The leader of the Hungarian opposition and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's main rival in the upcoming parliamentary elections, Péter Magyar, said he had been the target of Russian-style smear tactics involving hidden camera footage. He posted a statement to this effect on social media on 12 February.
According to Magyar, the incident occurred on 2 August 2024 after a party organised by his party, Respect and Freedom. After the event, his ex-girlfriend Evelyn Vogel invited him to another house party. At around 5 a.m., they arrived at the apartment, where, according to the politician, there were people he did not know, and there was alcohol and substances resembling drugs on the table.
Magyar emphasised that he did not touch the items on the table and did not use drugs. According to him, a few minutes later, he and Evelyn moved to another room, where they engaged in consensual sexual relations. Later, according to the opposition politician, the woman's behaviour and increased blackmail gave him reason to believe that this was a premeditated operation.
Madyar made his statement after the media drew attention to a website hinting at the disclosure of a certain incident. The page featured images of a room with a double bed and the caption "Soon."
The opposition politician is convinced that people associated with the ruling party and the secret services are behind the attempt to compromise him. He stated that he would not allow society to be distracted from real problems by fake videos and manipulation.
Orbán's chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, told reporters that he could not comment on something he knew nothing about. Government spokesman Zoltán Kovács did not respond to reporters' questions.
Parliamentary elections in Hungary are scheduled for 12 April. According to most opinion polls, the Magyar party is ahead of the ruling Fidesz party.
