A new Hungarian political party was started following a scandal at the beginning of the year which involved Viktor Orbán’s close associates in a paedophile case. This resulted in the first large Budapest demonstration under Orbán’s government to be reported in the international media. There have been other less reported protests in the capital but this protest saw tens of thousands of people take to the streets. It was organised by popular personalities from the music and cultural scene and online influencers.
“The Hungarian state has failed. There is no transparent, thorough and independent investigation to clarify responsibility,” Edina Pottyondy, one of the organising influencers, said in a fiery speech. She says Peter Magyar is like a Rorschach psychological test, ie an image everybody reads according to their own personality.
The scandal that started it all
At the beginning of the year, Katalin Novák, the President of Hungary had to resign due to the scandal in which she pardoned a tutor in a children’s home who was involved in covering up a paedophile case.
In her resignation speech, Katalin Novák explained that she granted the pardon “in the belief that the convicted did not take advantage of the vulnerability of the children entrusted to his care.” She admitted that she had made a mistake. You may read the full speech here. Several figures close to Orbán were alleged to have known of the pardon and many doubt it could have happened without the PM’s agreement.
Magyar appears on the political scene
Magyar‘s ex-wife, Judit Varga, who was Orbán’s Minister of Justice was also involved in the controversial pardon case resulting in her resignation. This is where Magyar came onto the public scene.
His first appearance was a statement on YouTube channel ‘Partizán’, the Hungarian opposition’s most popular channel.
This first interview brought him almost immediate and enormous popularity. Up to then, he had been a member of Orbán’s new social contract concluded in the 2010 parliamentary election, with which the government decided to establish the system called the National Cooperation System or NER.
National Cooperation System (NER)
Orbán announced the birth of NER after the second round of the 2010 parliamentary election won by his Fidesz-KDNP party alliance with a large majority. We reported on the later 2022 election which was declared free but not fair.
On 14 June, 2010, the political NER declaration beginning with “Let there be peace, freedom and harmony” was accepted, but only the ruling parties voted for it. The opposition parliamentary parties unanimously rejected the government statements because, in their opinion, the provisions recall the dictatorial eras of Hungarian history. The government decree ordered that the text of the declaration must be posted in all state administration buildings, and asked the representatives of the other branches of power to do so in the buildings they use as well.
A former diplomat and bureaucrat tells all
Magyar has never denied that he has always been close to power as a former diplomat in Brussels or as a bureaucrat holding other high ranking positions.
In the ‘Partizán’ interview, Magyar strongly criticised the Orbán regime of which he had been a former beneficiary. He recounted how the minister responsible for the secret services of the current government even tried to interfere in his own divorce. He described how Orbán sent his bodyguard shopping in Brussels, pulling a bundle of 500 euros out of his pocket. Listening to the interview, the viewer could feel that “the emperor had no clothes”. One of the insiders was now telling people openly what many have long thought about this system.
He reported that the people of the current minister responsible for the secret services entered the prosecutor’s office and presumably falsified the protocol that was prepared in the paedophile case. This is also important because with this he directly attacked Antal Rogán, the minister responsible for the secret services and Orbán’s propaganda machine.
Rapid popularity of Magyar’s centre right
According to the first signs, Magyar is quickly turning his popularity into political capital, but his exact motivations as to why he turned against the current government are a bit vague for now. He says in a radio interview himself that he hadn’t planned to have such an effect. In any case, he is already very popular and has managed to organize two major anti-government demonstrations. The secret of his success is probably the huge dissatisfaction with the current government and the entire current political elite in a part of Hungarian society. This was already felt at the demonstration organized by YouTube influencers in February following the pardon scandal.
His immediate support, even though at that time he had not yet given his official party a name, was already at 15-20%. If there really will be a new actor in Hungarian political life, it is good news for everyone, especially if he comes from the center like Magyar does. Hungarian political life currently lacks a centrist party that avoids populism, mainly from the right. That is why many voted for the first Fidesz government which was the more centrist choice in its origins.
Magyar raises hope across divides
Magyar’s appearance on the scene may be a great hope. Not just for centrists as one can also find former liberal or left-wing voters amongst his supporters. His political vision is still vague at the moment, but in many respects it is forward-looking. Although he considers himself critical of the EU, in his opinion the country definitely belongs in the EU.
Another part of Magyar’s success is that he started his political career as part of Fidesz, so he is well acquainted with its operation and the people who run it. Although Magyar considers himself a Christian-conservative person, the crowd supporting him is not nearly as homogeneous from an ideological point of view. They cannot be characterised by one ideological trend.
Embarrassing government and opposition alike
Magyar’s appearance is very embarrassing not only for the government, but also for the current parliamentary opposition. He was able to show something that the opposition has not been able to do for many years. He has gained huge popularity in a short time, as he is charismatic, young, good looking, has good communication skills, seems to be authentic and full of energy.
It is not yet known what his opinion is in relation to the war in Ukraine. Orbán has been a thorn in the EU’s side with his reluctance to support aid to Ukraine and his relationship with Russia.
New party called TISZA
Magyar has launched his new party, Tisza which is the name of a large river in Hungary, and of a historical well known right wing Hungarian leader. The name is made up of ‘tisztelet’ and ‘szabadság’ meaning respect and freedom. His movement will probably show its real political strength in the next couple of months. In any case, his appearance on the stage turned the entire Hungarian political life upside down, and not only the government but also the opposition see him as a challenger.
Népszava, a Hungarian daily writes:
“As published on the board’s website, The National Election Commission NVB registered the TISZA – “Respect and Freedom Party” –
With Thursday afternoon’s approval, Magyar is advancing to become a politician, and has the right to run in the 9 June European Parliament and local government elections. The party had to be nominated separately for two reasons. NVB President Tamás Sulyok announced the date of the elections on 12 March. Since you can only start with the political formation of a party founded before that date, Magyar had to find an already existing party.
Orbán can be defeated
Magyar: “The Orbán government can be defeated, no one knew me in Hungary just two months ago.” The NVB’s decision was made at an online meeting, which Magyar himself participated, and at which a small debate started over the party’s name and logo. The Respect and Freedom Party ‘Tisza’ was founded in 2021 in Eger. Its president is Attila Szabó, and its vice-president is a man named Deák Boldizsár, who used to be in Fidesz. According to their own description, it is an “ideology-free, centre-right” party that mainly wants to appeal to undecided voters. They also promised that a year later, in the 2022 parliamentary election, they would run a candidate in all 106 constituencies. However, nothing came of it, and in fact TISZA has not yet run in any political contest.
By Wednesday, Magyar already took over power in the party, at whose general meeting he was elected one of the vice-presidents. Together with his ‘entourage’ who came with him, they became the majority in the decision-making bodies of the party.
At the time of writing It is not yet clear who all the new faces of TISZA are. Magyar only writes that he thanks the founding members for recognizing the interests of Hungary and making joint work possible. Watch this space.
Note by Magdalena Williams:
Watching current Hungarian news and social media, attacks on Magyar and his party come from all sides of the political spectrum. Many query his honesty and funding sources. When he was accused of having abused his wife, what came to light was that it was actually his wife who admitted having lost her temper sometimes. Now some accuse him of being supported by Fidesz; some think he is funded by US based corporations; while some consider vaccination producers as his allies.
Magyar has his work cut out and we can expect a very interesting power struggle in preparation for the elections. He has started to appoint young, internationally educated young people as staff which shows that his plans are a less isolationist policy. He is traveling across the country talking to people and is attracting crowds wherever he appears. His energy seems endless. Not all of his comments differ from Orbán’s policies as he wants to speak to people across the political divide.
BTW, as I also have Hungarian citizenship, I have the honour of a personal letter by PM Orbán inviting me to vote in the EU elections. I might report on the contents once I recover from the shock.
