Hungarians will vote in parliamentary elections on Sunday, April 12, according to multiple reports. Voting takes place from 06:00 to 19:00 local time (04:00 to 17:00 GMT), as reported by major media, with results expected to start coming through during the evening. Péter Magyar and his Tisza party lead in most polls ahead of the election. A poll by the 21 Research Institute shows Tisza has 56% support among decided voters, compared to 37% for Fidesz, according to major media. The same institute calculates that if elections were held this Sunday, Tisza would secure 129 seats in the 199-seat National Assembly, while Fidesz would receive 64 seats, multiple reports indicate. Medián projects that only two parties—Fidesz and Tisza—would clear the threshold to enter parliament if elections were held this Sunday, sources said.
Péter Magyar formed Tisza after splitting from the ruling Fidesz party, according to major media. He was previously a diplomat for the Orbán government in Brussels, multiple reports indicate, and was appointed to the board of directors of state-owned road operation and maintenance company Magyar Közút ZRT. Magyar later became head of the government's student loan provider, sources said. He was married to Judit Varga, who served as justice minister under Orbán, according to major media. Magyar gained prominence in 2024 after a presidential pardon scandal involving a child abuser's accomplice, and he accused the Orbán government of widespread corruption in a Facebook post, multiple reports indicate. He won a seat as an MEP in the 2024 European Parliament elections with Tisza finishing second behind the ruling coalition, sources said.
We are going to achieve such a victory that will surprise everyone, perhaps even ourselves.
Viktor Orbán has been prime minister of Hungary for 16 years, according to major media. He vetoed €90 billion in aid to Ukraine, angering European partners, as reported by major media. The economy is struggling, and Orbán has been buffeted by a series of scandals, including revelations that Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly spoke to his Russian counterpart before and after European Union summits, multiple reports indicate.
Under Fidesz, Hungary is repeatedly at the bottom of Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index, according to major media. The European Parliament adopted a resolution in September 2022 stating that Hungary no longer meets the criteria of a functioning democracy but has become a so-called hybrid regime of electoral autocracy, sources said. Fidesz has systematically shifted power away from institutions that could be easily directed by a normal parliamentary majority, with key positions filled with people loyal to the ruling party for terms significantly longer than electoral cycles—some even for life, multiple reports indicate. The electoral system has been modified to favor the ruling party, electoral districts have been redrawn, the media landscape has flowed into the hands of the inner circle, and structures overseeing the rule of law have been weakened, according to major media.
We don't give our children, we don't give our weapons and we don't give our money.
Campaign dynamics have intensified, with US President Donald Trump calling on Hungarians to vote for Viktor Orbán, as reported by major media. Péter Magyar attracted far greater numbers to his final rally in Debrecen than Orbán did in Budapest, sources said. Magyar has told voters they need a two-thirds super-majority in parliament to wind back constitutional changes made by Fidesz, according to major media. There are fears that the elections will be formally free but practically unfair, and about what will happen after the elections, with both sides potentially claiming the result is fraudulent if it goes the wrong way, multiple reports indicate. Orbán has warned that the opposition would stop at nothing to seize power, while Magyar responded by appealing to voters not to give in to Fidesz pressure and blackmail, sources said. In a public speech, Orbán declared that his party would achieve a victory that would surprise everyone, perhaps even themselves, and stated they would not give up their children, weapons, or money, according to major media.
Potential outcomes remain uncertain, with the final election results and seat distribution in parliament yet to be determined.