Péter Magyar, a lawyer and businessman formerly close to Hungary’s ruling nationalist government, gestures during an anti-government protest in Budapest, Hungary, April 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
The story so far: Dissent has a new voice and a fresh face in Viktor Orbán’s land. Hungary, in the last month, saw two major protests challenging the nationalist government. Leading both was Péter Magyar, a lawyer and former diplomat who was once part of Hungary’s ruling elite circle. Mr. Magyar is now an opponent: fiercely criticising the regime of corruption and dismantling of democratic institutions under Mr. Orban’s 14-year-long rule.
A recent rally in Budapest on April 6 is being termed the biggest political demonstration in years; it had almost a hundred thousand people in attendance at the city’s central Kossuth Square. There, Mr. Magyar announced a new political outfit that will contest the local elections and upcoming European Union polls in June. The 43-year-old has pitched this as a convergence of the left and the right, a credible choice between the ruling Fidesz party and the “ineffectual” opposition. “Step by step, brick by brick, we are taking back our homeland and building a new country, a sovereign, modern, European Hungary,” Mr. Magyar told protesters.
People attend an anti-government protest led by Péter Magyar, a lawyer and businessman formerly close to Hungary’s ruling nationalist government, in Budapest, Hungary, April 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit:
Reuters
All about the diplomat-turned-critic
Mr. Magyar’s connections precede him. The lawyer was previously known for his marriage to Mr. Orban’s ex-Justice Minister Judit Varga, a popular figure in the political landscape. The two were married for nearly a decade; Ms. Varga served as an advisor at the European Parliament while Mr. Magyar held different positions on state boards. The two, with their three children, were framed in the media as a modern nuclear family. Mr. Magyar in an interview with Képmás in 2020 spoke about stepping back from his career at a crucial time to take care of the children. “I never experienced this as a victim, marriage is teamwork…” he said. The couple separated last year.
Also read | Hungary Parliament elects new President following scandal
Mr. Magyar also hails from a well-connected family in the right-wing landscape. His grandfather is a famous judge; his mother works in the judicial branch; his father, too, is a judge who also hosted a popular television programme. His great-uncle served as Hungary’s President between 2000 to 2005. Mr. Magyar was reportedly introduced to Ms. Varga through Gergely Gulyás – Mr. Orbán’s current chief of staff.
The former government insider blew the whistle on Mr. Orbán’s government this year, in what analysts have called the biggest political crisis during the Prime Minister’s 14-year-long rule. The Guardian called it a political saga which Hungarians followed like a “soap opera.” The series of events unspooled thus: Mr. Magyar in February resigned from the board of MBH Bank, spoke publicly about the reign of corruption and later published incriminating tapes on Facebook that evidenced how the ruling government controlled the Hungarian justice system. Opposition politician Katalin Cseh told Politico this is “one of the first cases when someone from Orbán’s inner circle has spoken out”.
In the tape dated January 2023, Mr. Magyar is seen in a conversation with former partner Ms. Varga, who revealed how a government aide tampered with evidence in a corruption case. The tape follows closely on the heels of a sex abuse scandal this year, which resulted in the resignation of former President Katalin Novák and Ms. Varga herself. The two— key political allies of Mr. Orbán — reportedly helped cover-up the abuse case, with Ms. Novák later pardoning the man convicted of the crime. Mr. Magyar said that the resignation is an attempt to scapegoat the two women, and Mr. Orbán’s government continues to hide “behind the skirt of women”.
The ruling government has denied all of Mr. Magyar’s claims; dismissed him as an opportunity seeker looking for fame in the aftermath of his divorce. Ms. Varga called the tape “appalling” and said she was “terrorised” for years about the audio recording in a televised interview. She also accused Mr. Magyar of blackmail and domestic violence — both claims Mr. Magyar has refuted.
A new Opposition figure
Mr. Magyar’s emergence in Hungary’s political landscape quells several concerns for the Hungarian public. The Fidesz party has since 2010, from when Mr. Orbán returned to power, taken on a right-wing, illiberal character, transforming Hungary into a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy,” according to the European Parliament. A biography calls him a “Man of Chaos”; accusations of corruption, cronyism, centralisation of power, declining press freedom and weakened democratic norms mount. The Prime Minister has frequently clashed with the European Union over migration issues and Russia’s war on Ukraine.
In contrast, Mr. Magyar’s politics is a challenge to the Prime Minister’s “power factory.” His centrist promise is targeted to reach out to people across the political spectrum — left-wing, liberal and conservative Hungarians. He also vows to build a more civil foreign policy that maintains relations with both the EU and NATO. At the rally, protesters carried signs reading “We are not scared” and “Orban resign!”; they were dressed in a combination of red-white-green, colours of the national flag and those associated with the Fidesz party. “These are the national colours of Hungary, not the government’s,” a 24-year-old protester told Reuters.
Mr. Magyar’s former status as a government insider carries some favour among voters, who will vote in national elections in 2026. His first interview on February 12 with Partizán has more than two million views. By mid-March, almost 68% of Hungary’s voters had heard of Magyar, and 13% said they were likely to support his party (making it the third most popular outfit in the country), according to data published by Median in the HVG outlet. “I find him credible…He was a beneficiary of the system, he gave it up and turned his back on it — and that shows something,” a protester told The Observer.
The former government insider has separated himself from a disparate Opposition landscape in Hungary. There is a distrust towards the more Leftist and liberal politicians; the Opposition’s previous attempts at forging coalitions failed in the 2022 parliamentary elections. Mr. Magyar’s entry could further fracture the Opposition vote, according to opponents.
Why are the protests relevant?
The current demonstrations are significant, in part due to the continued political turbulence in Hungary, the electoral timing and voter turnout. In a first in several years, a whistleblower has drawn to the streets hundreds of thousands of Hungarians to protest against the regime and pitch himself as a contender against Mr. Orbán. “More than 20 years have passed as our elected leaders have incited the Hungarian people against each other…we were pitted against each other instead of allowing us to band together,” he said at the rally, according to reports. “We will put an end to this now.”
Spectators are sceptical of Mr. Magyar’s ability to make a dent in the political landscape. Róbert László, an election expert at the Budapest-based Political Capital Institute, told The Guardian that the ruling government’s dominance and a weak Opposition had fuelled an expectation for a “messiah” that saves Hungary, but it was unlikely that Mr. Magyar is that chosen leader.
