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Hungary's opposition Tisza party widens its lead ahead of Orban's Fidesz
Reuters ^ | February 25, 2026

Posted on 02/25/2026 9:07:37 PM PST by MinorityRepublican

Hungary’s centre-right opposition Tisza party has widened its lead over Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz in February, a highly regarded poll showed on Wednesday, ahead of an April 12 election in which ​the veteran nationalist is seeking reelection.

Orban, seeking to retain his 16-year grip on ‌power, is facing a strong challenger for the first time in a parliamentary vote, with the outcome having major implications not only for Hungary but for Europe and its far-right political forces.

The poll showed Fidesz losing ground, while Tisza is gaining supporters, despite numerous voter-pleasing measures announced by the government ‌after ​three years of economic stagnation.

Tisza, led by former government ⁠insider Peter Magyar, has extended ⁠its lead over Fidesz to 20 percentage points among decided voters, up from a 12-point lead in a January survey, pollster Median said in an article published by news website hvg.hu.

Magyar’s party, which was only launched in 2024, had the ​support of 55% of decided voters, up from 51% in January.

Support for Fidesz dropped to 35% from 39% a month ago, according to the survey conducted between ⁠February 18 and 23.

When looking at the entire ⁠population, the survey said that Tisza was supported by 42% while ​Fidesz was backed by 31%.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: European Union; Foreign Affairs; Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 666; alreuters; anitakomuves; anotheroldgeezer; cgangeforthebetter; electionfraud; eussr; fidesz; fourthreich; goodriddance; hungary; orban; russiankeywordtroll; thebeast; timeforachange; tisza; totalitarianism
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1 posted on 02/25/2026 9:07:38 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
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To: MinorityRepublican

fake polls, funded by Soros and the EU eunuchs


2 posted on 02/25/2026 9:12:48 PM PST by pissant ((Deport them all))
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To: MinorityRepublican

“despite numerous voter-pleasing measures announced by the government ‌after ​three years of economic stagnation.”

Wealth redistribution?

Vote buying?


3 posted on 02/25/2026 10:29:52 PM PST by ProgressingAmerica (The U.S. Constitution is not a suicide pact. Progressivism is a suicide pact.)
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To: pissant; MinorityRepublican

Pissant, no, it is not fake - I work with many folks in Budapest and Szeged.

Nearly 50% of the population lives in Budapest and they don’t like Orban - this is not just the liberals, but many conservatives are fed up with him as well (as you can see by the poll).

Both parties share a strict stance on migration, though Tisza criticizes Fidesz for allowing thousands of non-EU migrant workers into the country.

The difference which is pushing many conservatives away from Fidesz are:
1. EU — Hungarians see their economy as closely tied to the EU. They support what Tisza wants to do - stay in and work with conservatives in italy, poland etc. to push back against Brussels. they realize that they are a tiny country that needs to be in a larger confederation

2. Ukraine - Orban looks increasingly like Putin has something on him - the Hungarians I know who supported him say that he has taken his pro-Putin stance well beyond what is good for Hungary’s economy. Tisza also opposes sending troops or weapons but does not outright oppose Ukraine joining the EU, suggesting a merit-based process and a national referendum instead.

3. Corruption - Orban has oligarchs - folks with close personal ties to Orbán, such as his childhood friend Lőrinc Mészáros and his son-in-law István Tiborcz, have become some of Hungary’s wealthiest people.

Over two-thirds of state contracts in some sectors are awarded in competition-restricting manners, often with only one bidder.

Orban MAY scrape in and stay, but if he loses, he is losing to an equally conservative party, only one which does not have his same views on the EU, Ukraine and corruption


4 posted on 02/26/2026 12:46:24 AM PST by Cronos
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To: ProgressingAmerica

In February 2026—just eight weeks before the vote—pensioners received a 13th and even a new 14th monthly pension. The introduction of the “14th-month” top-up is estimated to cost approximately 0.6% of Hungary’s GDP ($454 million annually).

A lifetime personal income tax exemption for mothers with two children came into force at the beginning of 2026, initially for those under 40. This follows a previous exemption for mothers with three or more children.

A six-month salary bonus was promised to members of the armed forces for early 2026.

A new 3% fixed-rate housing loan program was launched for first-time homebuyers and young people to ease the pressure of rising housing costs.

A 1 million forint ($2,850) housing subsidy was announced for doctors, nurses, police officers, teachers, and soldiers to be used for mortgage repayments or down payments.

In early 2026, the government launched a 50 billion forint ($160 million) measure to partly reimburse household heating costs for January due to freezing temperatures.

A 100 billion forint ($310 million) package was announced in January 2026 to support the struggling restaurant industry

2026 Minimum Wage: Increased by 11% to HUF 322,800 gross per month for unskilled roles.


Some are definitely vote buying (the 14th month pension? the 6 month salary bonus?) - others are nice measures, but the timing - just before the elections, well, that’s voter incentivizing.


5 posted on 02/26/2026 12:57:59 AM PST by Cronos
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To: MinorityRepublican

Once again Reuters is spewing BS. Hungary’s economy grew by over 4% in 2025 and almost 5% in 2024. So much for its economy being “stagnant” the last 3 years.

I suspect this poll is as much BS as the rest of Reuters’ reporting.


6 posted on 02/26/2026 1:33:25 AM PST by FLT-bird
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To: FLT-bird
Hungary’s economy grew by over 4% in 2025 and almost 5% in 2024.

LOL, Hungary's inflation under Orban, hit a 26.2% annual rate in Jan 2023, they have now come down, but food prices have surged by over 80% over the last five years.

7 posted on 02/26/2026 2:38:59 AM PST by tlozo (“We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin, if you want to know the truth,” Trump)
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To: FLT-bird

Roto Reuter: Orban is “far right.” He has maintained his “grip on power.”


8 posted on 02/26/2026 4:32:00 AM PST by phil00071
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To: Cronos

Ukraine is straight corruption. Hungary needs to stay out unless they are getting their land back from Ukraine.


9 posted on 02/26/2026 6:21:13 AM PST by Bulwyf
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To: tlozo

Food prices in western Canada are up far more than 80%.


10 posted on 02/26/2026 6:22:13 AM PST by Bulwyf
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To: MinorityRepublican
Hungary’s centre-right opposition Tisza party has widened its lead over

Wow! Normally anyone to the right of Vladamir Lenin is called "far-right" by Reuters.

11 posted on 02/26/2026 7:43:11 AM PST by libertylover (The HBM (Has Been Media) is almost all AGENDA-DRIVEN and HATE-DRIVEN, not-truth driven.)
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To: tlozo

And that’s different from anybody else in Europe how? Hungary is a small country of only 10 million people. They’re not self sufficient in many things - which means they need to get it from abroad. If prices are spiking for everybody else, then all the things they have to import are going to be that much more expensive too.


12 posted on 02/26/2026 8:12:32 AM PST by FLT-bird
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To: Bulwyf; Cronos
Like Cronos said -

Ukraine - Orban looks increasingly like Putin has something on him - the Hungarians I know who supported him say that he has taken his pro-Putin stance well beyond what is good for Hungary’s economy

Hungary changes for the better on April 12th with this old geezer gone.


13 posted on 02/26/2026 9:00:56 AM PST by canuck_conservative (Russia lies all the time)
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To: Cronos

Perhaps. I pray that Orban crushes him. His so-called Pro-Putin stance is because the dirty commie bastards running the EU hate Orban. His administration is one of the very, very few anti-globalist, PRO-TRUMP governments on the planet. And I guarantee you Soros $$ is greasing the skids for Tisza.

If your mortal enemies are Zelensky, the (pro-commie) Nation and Mother Jones magazines, the muzzies, retarded EU bureaucrats, the UN, Soros, and the entirety of the world’s MSM; while you allies include Trump, Rush (RIP), and Pissant, then he’s the right man for the job


14 posted on 02/26/2026 9:41:07 AM PST by pissant ((Deport them all))
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To: MinorityRepublican
There is next to nothing online about Magyar’s early life, like the names of his parents.

Look up just about any world leader or high profile politician and you’ll usually find extensive background and history.

My guess is that ‘Magyar’ - isn’t his born surname.

The word ‘Magyar’ - refers to the Hungarian people - Magyars.

Having a political candidate with that particular phony surname tells us a lot about the forces that want Orban out.


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15 posted on 02/26/2026 10:41:35 AM PST by yelostar
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To: yelostar

Parents
István Magyar
Mónika Erőss
Relatives Ferenc Mádl (maternal great-uncle)
Dalma Mádl (maternal great-aunt)


16 posted on 02/26/2026 11:27:12 AM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: yelostar

His mother, Mónika Erőss, was previously the Secretary General of the Curia , and in April 2020 she became Deputy President of the National Judicial Office . His maternal grandmother, Teréz Mádl, is the sister of President Ferenc Mádl (1931–2011). His maternal grandfather, Pál Erőss (1934–2021), was a former judge of the Supreme Court , who became known nationwide as a popular legal expert on the Hungarian Television program Legal Cases before the change of regime. [ 55 ] His father, István Magyar, is a lawyer originally from Szombathely. His younger brother, Márton Magyar , [ 56 ] also has a younger sister. [ 57 ]

In 2006, he married Judit Varga , later Minister of Justice in the fourth and fifth Orbán governments . They had three children: Levente (2009), Lóránt (2013), and Miklós (2015). [ 58 ] They divorced in 2023. Following his divorce, he met Evelin Vogel in 2023 , with whom he had a relationship until the summer of 2024. In 2024, he met Ilona Szabó, who had previously worked as his assistant. [ 59 ] [ 60 ]


17 posted on 02/26/2026 11:30:01 AM PST by ansel12 ((NATO warrior under Reagan, and RA under Nixon, bemoaning the pro-Russians from Vietnam to Ukraine.))
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To: ansel12
Interesting.

Magyar is indeed a surname.

Magyar Name Meaning

Hungarian: ethnic name from the vocabulary word magyar ‘Hungarian’. The name was most often given to Hungarians who lived in nationally mixed rural areas, for example in Transylvania and parts of Slovakia (compare Mager 3). The ethnic name originates from the ancient Megyer tribe, one of the most powerful Hungarian clans which occupied the Carpathian basin in late Roman times. The Magyar people came originally from the Urals, but between the 5th and 9th centuries they lived in the north Caucasus and were closely associated with the Turkic peoples there. They were forced to migrate westward and settled in their present territory at the end of the 9th century. This surname is also found in Romania and Slovakia.

Well go figure. Wiki now has an entry on Magyar's 'Early Life and education - posted about 3:38 EST. Timing is everything...

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18 posted on 02/26/2026 1:59:45 PM PST by yelostar
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To: canuck_conservative

Changes for better? How? You’re a pro socialist pro western Europe communism now? What do you think the EU is?


19 posted on 02/26/2026 2:09:06 PM PST by Bulwyf
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To: yelostar
As a general comment, we find in politics, American and non-American, that some high profile people use names other than their born names/surnames. Israel comes to mind, as a number of Israeli PM's have used names that aren't their born names. Russians too. Stalin, Lenin and Trotsky all used surnames that weren’t their birth names.

Post on Israeli and Russian leaders using different names/surnames:

https://freerepublic.com/focus/news/4332290/posts?page=26#26

In the U.S.

Ulysses Simpson Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant)

Grover Cleveland (born Stephen Grover Cleveland)

Woodrow Wilson (born Thomas Woodrow Wilson)

Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge)

Dwight David Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower)

Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. (born Leslie Lynch King Jr.)

Bill Clinton (William Jefferson Blythe III)

James David Vance (born James Donald Bowman; also used the name James David Hamel for a time)

Ford, Clinton and Vance name changes were because their mothers remarried, and the fathers were either abusive, absent, or both.

Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.)

Bill de Blasio (born Warren Wilhelm Jr.)

Jared Schutz Polis (born Jared Polis Schutz) - switched to using his mother's maiden name as his surname)

20 posted on 02/26/2026 2:46:15 PM PST by yelostar
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