BUDAPEST, Hungary — Tens of thousands of Hungarians are expected to fill the streets of Budapest on Thursday for rival rallies by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party and his fast-rising challenger Péter Magyar, marking the start of a heated campaign season ahead of next year’s general elections.
The competing demonstrations coincide with the anniversary of the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising, a symbolic date deeply embedded in Hungary’s national memory and long appropriated by Fidesz to project its brand of populist nationalism.
This year’s commemorations, however, are unfolding against a backdrop of political turbulence, economic hardship, and shifting public sentiment that could make the April 2026 elections the most competitive in over a decade.
Orbán, who has ruled Hungary since 2010, is expected to address supporters gathered outside Parliament during what Fidesz has branded a “peace march.”
The event, promoted as a show of unity and patriotism, was dealt a setback after reports that a planned Budapest meeting between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin — touted by Orbán as a diplomatic triumph — would not take place.
As the ruling party rally winds through the capital, it will have to navigate around a rival event organised by Péter Magyar, a former Fidesz insider turned opposition leader. His party, Tisza, has surged in popularity on the back of public frustration over record inflation, corruption allegations, and discontent with the government’s close ties to Moscow.
“If elections were held this Sunday, Fidesz would receive 27p.c of the vote and Tisza 37p.c ,” said Balázs Böcskei, director of the independent IDEA Institute, whose polling shows Magyar maintaining a steady lead.
However, he noted that one in four Hungarians remains undecided — a crucial bloc that could once again determine the outcome, as it did in 2022 when Orbán secured re-election despite polling deficits.
Magyar, 43, a lawyer and former government ally who publicly broke with Fidesz in early 2024, has accused the ruling party of “a string of crimes,” including using state resources to transport supporters to rallies and offering food and vouchers as incentives.
His campaign claims that bus companies have faced pressure not to rent vehicles to opposition groups. “We must show that we will not give in to blackmail, lies, or threats,” Magyar told his followers on Facebook.
Fidesz officials have dismissed the allegations. Tamás Menczer, the party’s communications director, labelled the claims “fake news,” while Orbán has framed Magyar’s event as a “Brussels war march,” accusing him — without evidence — of being a puppet of the European Union and Ukraine.
The two political movements have come to embody starkly different visions for Hungary’s future. Orbán, who critics say has steadily eroded democratic institutions and press freedom, is campaigning on themes of national sovereignty, anti-immigration, and non-involvement in the war in Ukraine.
In contrast, Magyar is running on an anti-corruption platform, pledging to rebuild ties with the EU, support Ukraine’s sovereignty, and reduce Hungary’s dependence on Russian energy.
In recent months, Magyar has embarked on an ambitious 80-day national tour, visiting over 150 towns and villages to rally support in rural regions where Fidesz has traditionally dominated.
His rise has unsettled Hungary’s political establishment and injected new energy into a fragmented opposition landscape.
Political analysts say the election could mirror past contests — free but deeply unfair — due to Fidesz’s near-total control of state media and campaign financing. “The past two elections have been free, but unfair,” said Péter Krekó, director of the Budapest-based think tank Political Capital. “A bit of trickery and a lot of campaigning could still shift the polls. This is an open race, but Tisza’s lead is not unchangeable.”
As both camps mobilize ahead of April, Thursday’s dueling rallies will serve as a symbolic prelude to a high-stakes election that could redefine Hungary’s place within Europe — and the legacy of one of the continent’s most entrenched populist leaders.
