Mass rallies took place in Budapest ahead of the Hungarian elections (VIDEO)
Supporters of opposition leader Péter Magyar gathered in central Budapest for a mass rally a month ahead of parliamentary elections that could bring an end to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s 16-year rule.
Supporters of the Tisza Party, led by Magyar, filled Andrássy Avenue in the capital for over a mile on Sunday ahead of the vote scheduled for 12 April.
A few hours earlier, Viktor Orbán’s supporters held their own rally outside the parliament building during the annual commemorations of the failed 1848 revolution against Habsburg rule.
The two rallies highlighted the political divide in the country. Viktor Orbán is a nationalist politician described as an ally of US President Donald Trump and a supporter of the Kremlin. He uses the issue of Ukraine in his election campaign. Péter Magyar was formerly a member of the Fidesz party and criticises the concentration of power in the hands of the prime minister, promising to bring Hungary back into line with the mainstream of the European Union.
Mátyás referred to Hungary’s struggle for independence in the 19th century and stated that Orbán had transformed from an anti-Soviet student leader into Russia’s partner within the European Union and NATO. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Hungary has repeatedly attempted to block aid to Kyiv.
“We will secure a victory on 12 April that will be visible not only from the Moon, but also from the Kremlin,” Magyar said during his speech. He also called Orbán a “traitor” following reports of a possible influence campaign by Moscow aimed at keeping the Hungarian prime minister in power.
The Tisza Party was founded just over two years ago. During this time, Magyar has capitalised on voters’ dissatisfaction with economic stagnation, the state of public services, and a series of scandals linked to corruption and child protection issues. According to a poll last month, the Tisza Party could be leading its rivals by around 20 percentage points among identified voters.
Meanwhile, Viktor Orbán, who has served as prime minister for five terms and is the longest-serving head of government in the European Union, is running an active election campaign.
To divert attention from domestic problems, Orbán is focusing on the war in Ukraine, calling himself the ‘safe choice’ during wartime. He has also referred to Ukraine as an enemy and accused Kyiv of halting Russian oil supplies to Hungary.
“Kyiv and Brussels must understand. Our sons will not die for Ukraine, but will live for Hungary,” Orbán told his supporters.
Despite this, observers estimate that the gap in the polls between Orbán and the opposition began to narrow following the Prime Minister’s claims that the opposition could allegedly drag Hungary into the war in Ukraine. The Tisza party denies such claims.
During Sunday’s rally of Orbán’s supporters in Budapest, hundreds of buses bearing the symbols of the ruling party lined a wide street in the capital. This indicated that many participants had been brought to the capital for the rally. State television broadcast Orbán’s speech live and later repeated it during the Tisza party rally.
