A whistleblower’s explosive testimony points to a covert operation targeting Hungary’s opposition — raising urgent questions about state power, intelligence agencies and the integrity of the upcoming election.
Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz needs fewer votes than the opposition Tisza party to stay in power, as the electoral system still favours the incumbent. In this article, we examine the most likely developments after the Hungarian elections on 12 April.
A leaked transcript of a 2020 phone call suggests Hungary’s foreign minister sought Moscow’s help to bolster a Slovak ally ahead of a pivotal election, raising fresh questions about Budapest’s ties to the Kremlin and deepening concerns within the EU over trust, influence and the handling of sensitive information.
In France and across Europe, the right casts the left as a threat. Yet left-wing parties still find ways to unite at the ballot box. At the same time, far-right actors are increasingly normalised, while anti-capitalist groups are pushed to the political margins.
With just over three weeks to go, a literal ‘false flag’ operation at a Tisza rally, a potential JD Vance (but not Donald Trump) visit, some suspect candidates name-changing to confuse voters, and the latest opinion polling.
Crowds pack the historic square of Eger on Tuesday, as Viktor Orbán campaigns like a rock star, drawing cheers and criticism alike. Supporters praise stability; sceptics cite failing services and demand change. With rival Péter Magyar gaining ground, Hungary’s election race reveals a country split between loyalty, fear, and growing political tension.
In our regular digest of the week’s news from the Hungarian campaign trail: latest opinion polls, a Hungarian delegation to Ukraine to inspect the damaged Russian oil pipeline, claims Kremlin-approved Russian disinfo is amplifying Fidesz campaign messaging, Hollywood star Mark Ruffalo calls on Hungarians to free themselves from Orban, and physical attacks on independent journalists.
Relations between Ukraine and Hungary have plunged into meltdown after Volodymyr Zelensky threatened Viktor Orbán last week over blocked EU funding. This was followed by a dramatic cash and gold seizure in Hungary, while intelligence claims of Kremlin election interference in Hungary add another layer to the rift.
In our regular digest of the week’s news from the Hungarian campaign trail: opinion polls, why Hungarian PM Orbán does not rule out deploying soldiers on the streets, claims Ukraine is financing the opposition Tisza party, and Tisza mobilises in the countryside.
In our regular digest of the week’s news from the Hungarian campaign trail: conflicting opinion polls, soldiers on the streets (due to the Ukrainian ‘threat’), and a simple ‘how-to’ guide to the voting process.
In this week’s digest from the Hungarian election campaign trail: Ukraine oil rows, Viktor Orban vows to finish off the job against civil society and independent media after April election and accuses the Shell oil company of being behind the opposition.
Viktor Orbán has also pledged, in his annual address earlier this month, to “clear out” after the April elections media and civil society organisations deemed to threaten “sovereignty.” Fidesz already directly or indirectly control 80 percent of Hungary’s media.
This week, in our digest of the Hungarian campaign trail to the April election: the opposition Tisza’s election manifesto, a potential government cover-up, a sex-smear video, and Marco Rubio in Budapest.
Bangladesh remains one of Asia’s leading jailers of journalists — with it’s election on Thursday, and Brussels negotiating a Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (the bloc’s first with a South Asian nation), the EU has never been in a stronger position, writes the Committee to Protect Journalists.
In this week’s round-up from the Hungarian election campaign: Viktor Orban’s name in the Epstein files, more fallout from the Roma remarks, and all the latest opinion polling.
In a fresh effort to recast regulation as censorship, a new 160-page report from the US House Judiciary Committee alleges Brussels pressured Big Tech platforms to censor US speech, including around the 2024 presidential elections.