Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party have been in government for 14 years and have a seemingly unshakeable grip on power. But in recent months former ally Péter Magyar has emerged as a political rival and is mobilising a part of the Hungarian population against the country's hard-right leader.
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00:00 I am in Hungary, in Debrecen in particular,
00:02 the second city in the country and one of the bastions of the faithfulness of the party of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
00:07 Behind me you have several thousand people gathered, not in support of the government,
00:10 but at the call of a man, Peter Magyar, who embodies a new opposition
00:14 and who presents his list to the European elections in June 2024.
00:16 His popularity is climbing the ranks and the hopes of a change in Hungarian society are accompanying him.
00:21 So for Witness, we will try to understand what are the issues of these elections,
00:24 but above all, what future is drawn for Hungarians.
00:26 I know them, I know the system, I know the tactics, the propaganda.
00:32 We will be challenging him, you know, just to keep this success alive.
00:38 And what we know for sure is that Fidesz will do anything to discredit him.
00:46 I think there are no messiahs in politics.
00:49 I think changing the current system that has been governing here for the past 14 years would be a step.
00:56 Good evening!
00:58 Good evening!
00:59 And now everyone...
01:01 The streets of Debrecen, Hungary's second city, had not seen such an event for a long time.
01:06 Thousands of people gathered at the call of a man, Peter Magyar,
01:09 almost unknown to Hungarian politics three months ago.
01:13 This lawyer and former Fidesz officer has imposed himself as the main opponent
01:16 to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán for the European and local elections in June 2024.
01:22 Since last February, and a scandal that shook the entourage of Orbán,
01:25 Magyar has been talking about him,
01:27 giving revelations about corruption and the alleged intrigues of the current regime.
01:31 Few are the former Fidesz officers who turn against the party.
01:34 Thus, he emphasizes his notoriety in every meeting.
01:37 Some even cross the country to see him.
01:40 Today, Magyar and his party, the TISA, which means "respect and freedom",
01:43 want to embody the anti-systemic alternative to the Orbán government in power since 2010.
01:48 And according to various polls,
01:50 the party would be credited with 17 to 25% of the votes in the next European elections.
01:56 I think the majority of the Hungarian people are fed up with the corruption,
02:01 with the lies, with the propaganda.
02:03 You know, this was the biggest opposition rally,
02:08 or the biggest rally in the countryside ever after the regime changed.
02:12 Now we are the second poorest country in the European Union after 20 years.
02:16 After 20 years of accession to the EU, we are the most corrupt country.
02:21 So it's too much for the Hungarian people.
02:23 It's too much together economically, politically, legally, ethically.
02:28 It's too much.
02:29 To be honest, if we have the mandate, like a government or so,
02:35 I would like to have a concrete, but critical, but fair relationship.
02:42 Not just fighting for fighting.
02:45 I would like to close the rule of law procedure between Hungary and the European Union.
02:49 I would like to bring back the EU funds to Hungary, because it's crucial for the Hungarian small and medium-sized enterprises.
02:56 It's crucial for the Hungarian agriculture, for the health and education system.
03:00 And we would like to join to the EPP.
03:02 So it would be a bit different relationship than the relationship between Orbán and the EU.
03:09 But I would be also critical if it's necessary.
03:12 And if I have to fight for the Hungarian interest or the interest of the Hungarian people, I will be harsh as well.
03:17 His anti-government speech is seducing and his popularity is increasing.
03:21 In April, he gathered nearly 100,000 people in the streets of Budapest.
03:25 Magyar is renewing himself without revealing his political program.
03:29 He is taking the role of a much more dynamic opposition,
03:31 refusing the left-right split that tears apart the classical opposition.
03:35 His rising popularity is holding hope in a part of the Hungarian society.
03:39 Lervin Nagy, a famous actor and artist, did not hesitate to rally Magyar during his meetings
03:44 and he saw the opportunity of a political renewal.
03:47 I see that Hungary is facing a serious change.
03:51 For 14 years, the same power that is here is my government.
03:57 I think that with the appearance of Magyar Péter, a new era is beginning.
04:03 In Hungary, a two-party political system has been formed.
04:09 When Péter appeared and set fire to the flag of both the left and right-wing values,
04:15 and the point of the match, I thought I had to jump.
04:19 We are an unpopular people, and I think that our leaders do not always measure well
04:30 how dissatisfied the people are.
04:34 This pressure can suddenly explode in this nation, one moment to the next.
04:42 There is a chance that this kind of change, which will be explosive, will follow.
04:49 This needs a rock. This rock is currently Magyar Péter.
04:52 I see the talent in it, which can change everything here.
04:57 That's why I'm behind it.
05:00 The European elections seem to be just a step.
05:03 The eyes are already turned to the legislative elections in April 2026.
05:06 But against them, the mountain of Fidesz seems insurmountable.
05:09 After 14 years in power, the political gears set up by Orban leave little room for opposition.
05:14 Likewise, Fidesz has introduced many reforms weakening the state of law in the country,
05:19 such as the freedom of the press or judicial independence.
05:22 Measures that have valued several appeals to the order of the European Union in Hungary,
05:26 and even the partial funding freeze that was intended for it.
05:29 To understand what the chances are of Magyar against Fidesz, I meet Melanie Barley,
05:33 a political scientist at the University of Andrassy in Budapest and founder of Unrack Democracy,
05:37 an NGO responsible for preserving the integrity of elections throughout Europe.
05:41 Unfortunately, what we are witnessing is that since 2010,
05:48 the Orban government has been manipulating all pillars of the democratic system.
05:56 That is institutional and constitutional engineering, which is evident,
06:01 affecting the basic democratic values, such as rule of law, minority rights, media pluralism, etc.
06:11 They created a system where any other opposition parties
06:16 technically have very little chance to have a system change in Hungary.
06:23 Peter Magyar is the first one who is coming from the inner circle of Fidesz
06:28 and telling private stories about corruption.
06:33 Everything he is saying and telling to people is considered as true and valid.
06:40 He is using the same receipt as Orban, but in a more moderate way.
06:47 If Peter Magyar's success is undeniable, the road to the 2026 elections is still long,
06:52 especially in the face of Fidesz's defensive machine since its appearance in the media space.
06:57 It will be challenging for him just to keep this success alive.
07:03 And what we know for sure is that Fidesz will do anything to discredit him in social media,
07:13 as they are doing it right now, and Fidesz has unlimited resources to do it.
07:20 For a part of the population, Peter Magyar is seen as the last chance to overthrow Orban and his government.
07:26 No opposition party had created such a feeling of enthusiasm,
07:29 and this enthusiasm is also found among young people, who have long been put aside by Hungarian politics.
07:33 Lili H.N. Brenner is a student and activist.
07:36 For the last 15 years, she has been working with several groups fighting for climate justice,
07:40 including the famous Fridays for Future that she organized in Budapest.
07:43 For her, Magyar is certainly a bearer of hope,
07:46 and the real change will come from a complete questioning of Hungarian society,
07:50 integrating a greater dialogue between generations and the various issues that concern them.
07:54 Hungarian youth is really opposed to the idea of participating in politics,
07:58 because we've been taught that way.
08:01 Because our education system doesn't teach us critical thinking,
08:04 we don't really treat our surroundings and don't really treat politics as a tool to use ourselves,
08:10 but as something that adults and old people use to play their games and to fight,
08:18 and to get more money and to be corrupt.
08:22 I don't think that Peter Magyar should be considered a messiah.
08:25 I think there are no messiahs in politics.
08:28 I think changing the current system that has been governing here for the past 14 years would be a step.
08:35 I think that he needs a chance, and I think he has a chance, because he is new,
08:40 and he has come from the system that he is trying to take down.
08:44 I don't have a belief that if he would be Hungary's prime minister,
08:50 everything would change, that everything would be automatically better.
08:56 I would like to see this country as one that's way more accepting, way more open,
09:05 and way more diverse than it currently is.
09:08 We need to improve our educational system, our health care system,
09:12 our way of dealing with our surroundings, our nature,
09:17 and our society needs to change the way we think about each other.
09:21 Because currently I feel that we are torn between generations,
09:26 and we are also torn between different beliefs,
09:32 and we have no real bridges and real opportunities to talk to each other.
09:39 And even when we do, we treat each other not with openness, but with anger and fear.
09:49 [Music]