Two new polls confirm what surveys revealed: for the first time in 14 years in power, the party of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is ahead of public opinion. This by former high-ranking official Péter Magyar, who rebelled against Orban’s power and founded a new party. If the 2026 elections took place today, his Tisza party would win with a 7-point lead, according to polls from the Idea and Median Institutes.
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With our correspondent in Budapest, Florence La Bruyère
L’former high-ranking civil servant Péter Magyar overshadows the Prime Minister Viktor Orban. His new Tisza party, for Honesty and Freedom, had already won 30% of the votes in the European and municipal elections last June. And its popularity continues to rise: if the legislative elections scheduled for spring 2026 took place at this time, Péter Magyar’s party would win with a 7-point lead over Fidesz, according to two recent polls from the Idea and Median Institutes.
These polls confirm other surveys carried out in recent months and therefore reveal an underlying trend. For the first time in 14 years in power, Viktor Orban’s party is ahead in the polls. Péter Magyar represents a credible choice for voters eager for change.
By crisscrossing the HungaryPéter Magyar publishes photos of dilapidated hospitals and orphanages: this is the result of corruption, he says. If his party wins the elections, it will invest massively in health. “ We are fed up with this government, explains Eszter in Frenchtourist guide and enthusiastic activist for Péter Magyar’s Tisza party. And we’re fed up with the opposition, too. Because they haven’t done anything for 14 years. »
Sandor is 32 years old, he works in marketing. And like many Hungarians, he is disinterested in politics. But he notes that Péter Magyar is more and more popular: “ It’s new, maybe that’s why ! I find that Péter Magyar has a coherent speech, he is not afraid to say what he thinks. It is especially young people who find him likeable. »
There rise of his rival worries Viktor Orban. Private conversations of Péter Magyar, probably recorded by the secret services, were transmitted to the press. Péter Magyar criticizes everyone, his supporters and even the deputies of his own party. But this smear campaign does not convince many people: “ Maybe some of it is true, but records can easily be manipulated », opines a young supporter of Magyar, interviewed by the media Telex.
Even if the polls are favorable to him, it is not certain that Péter Magyar will win the next elections in 2026. In any case, this is the first time that Viktor Orban faces such a charismatic rival.
Also readHungary: from the ruling Fidesz, Péter Magyar challenges Viktor Orban