Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his main challenger, Péter Magyar, drew large crowds in Budapest on Sunday for rival rallies ahead of the country’s April election, according to reporting by the Associated Press.
The rallies, held in the capital roughly four weeks before voters go to the polls, were described as a barometer for momentum in the campaign’s final month, as both sides sought to demonstrate their ability to mobilize supporters on the streets.
Magyar addressed at least 100,000 supporters at Heroes’ Square, charging that Orbán’s government has turned Hungarians against one another through propaganda and divisive policies and has steered the country away from its “rightful place among Western democracies.” He said, “Our homeland is part of the West, our homeland is part of the European community, our country is part of NATO. And not because of treaties or charters, but because it is written in our destiny,” and he added, “Our ancestors left us the inheritance of where we belong. We’re not afraid. We have learned from our ancestors that nothing lasts forever.”
Orbán, looking for a fifth consecutive election victory after leading Hungary since 2010, spoke to supporters after a march that AP said moved across a bridge over the Danube toward Hungary’s parliament. A banner carried during the march read, “We won’t be a Ukrainian colony!”
In his speech, Orbán painted a dark picture of the future, warned of dangers including war and mass migration, and promised he would “preserve Hungary as an island of security and tranquility even in such a turbulent world.” The AP report said he described the election as a “crossroads” and repeatedly took aim at the European Union and Ukraine, comparing them to invading forces from Hungary’s history. He said, “We will be here even if hundreds of parachutists from Brussels fall from the sky,” and later added, “We will round them up, dust off their pants and send them back, some to Brussels and some to Kyiv.”
The AP report said Orbán’s campaign has relied increasingly on an aggressive anti-Ukraine line, alleging that Kyiv, the European Union and Tisza are part of a conspiracy to oust his government and install one that would financially support Ukraine and send soldiers to fight in its war against Russia. It said the prime minister framed the election stakes around whether the war in Ukraine will bankrupt Hungary and send the country’s youth to the front lines.
Supporter Anikó Menyhárt told AP that Orbán’s appeal could be summed up in three words—“God, homeland, family”—and said, “Only this government is able to secure these three things for the future.”
Magyar, AP reported, has centered his message on improving conditions for ordinary Hungarians. The AP described him as a 44-year-old lawyer and one-time Fidesz insider who broke with the party in 2024, and said he has pledged to restore democratic institutions that have eroded under Orbán and to steer Hungary back toward Western partners. In Sunday remarks, Magyar said, “On April 12, we will achieve a victory that will be seen not only from the moon, but also from the Kremlin.”
The AP report said independent polling gives Tisza a lead over Fidesz, including a February survey by pollster Medián published by the news site HVG that showed Magyar’s party at a 20 percentage point advantage among decided voters. The report also said the outcome remains uncertain, with Fidesz working to engage support in rural areas and using its control over public broadcasters and a network of loyal media outlets.
The AP report also described Orbán using public funds for billboards featuring an AI-manipulated image of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, with a caption reading, “We won’t let Zelenskyy have the last laugh!”
A Tisza supporter, Attila Tóth, 51, told AP he believes a Tisza government would improve education, healthcare and transportation and would break with Orbán’s practice of using public spaces for political messaging. He said, “(Tisza) won’t brainwash people, and you won’t feel sick when you walk down the street and see 15 posters every 100 meters (328 feet) telling you who the enemy is at the moment.”