Hungarian opposition leader calls for snap elections

Péter Magyar, the opponent of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, has called for elections to be held sooner than the planned 2026 date.

Opinion polls indicate a decline in the ruling party's popularity. The government has announced that elections will take place next year, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.  

“Let there be a new election, to return the right of deciding their fate to the people,” Magyar addressed Orban in a New Year’s speech published on social media, marking the first time the opposition leader has called for early elections.

By the end of 2024 or early 2025, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's party, Fidesz, which has dominated Hungarian politics for over a decade and a half, is set to lose its position to the Respect and Freedom Party (Tisza). Orbán is pushing for snap elections, initially scheduled for 2026, as public opinion polls indicate a decline in popularity for the ruling party.

Support for Fidesz is declining due to sluggish economic growth and soaring inflation, which have eroded confidence in Orbán's economic leadership. Additionally, the party's ratings have been impacted by prominent scandals. Nonetheless, Orbán is relying on an economic recovery this year to improve his prospects in the upcoming elections. 

On July 11, 2024, Péter Magyar traveled to Kyiv, where he delivered medical supplies to hospitals in the capital in response to the Russian assault on Okhmatdyt. In June, he stated his opposition to providing weapons to Ukraine, but expressed a desire to support the country through other means.

By Naila Huseynova