HUNGARY
Péter Magyar, former Fidesz party official and increasingly prominent anti-gov't activist, has announced that his 'Hungarians Rise' political movement will run under the banner of the Respect and Freedom (Tisza) Party in the upcoming European Parliament election. Magyar has risen in political prominence in recent months following the political scandalthat claimed the positions of President Kaitlin Novak and Justice Minister Judit Varga (Magyar's ex-wife).
- Magyar's nascent political movement has developed swiftly since then following a high-profile interview in which he alleged endemic corruption within Hungarian politics. Recently this has seen mass protests in Budapest against the gov't of PM Viktor Orban where Magyar has addressed the crowds.
- Following the announcement of the deal with Tisza, Magyar and his supporters will need to amass 20k signatures between 20 April and 3 May in order to get onto the ballot ahead of the EP elections on 9 June.
- The small samples of opinion polling carried out following Magyar's emergence show Orban's right-wing populist Fidesz-KNDP maintaining its dominance over the Hungarian political landscape, with nearly 50% support.
- Nevertheless, coming from nowhere just months ago Tisza is polling around 15%. If reflected in the EP election this would be more than sufficient to cross the 5% electoral threshold and gain representation in the European Parliament.
- The next parliamentary election is not due until 2026, meaning that even if Magyar's political movement continues to gain support it will be some time before it could have a direct impact on Hungary's political landscape.
Chart 1. Hungary European Parliament Election Polling, %
Source: Ipsos, Nezopont, MNI
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