In the summertime of Hungary there is usually a political stagnation – the Hungarian media call this period "the cucumber season". The only crucial event at this time is Viktor Orban's yearly program speech at the end of July at the Baile Tusnad spa in Sevenyard. It was there that the Prime Minister of Hungary announced groundbreaking decisions, specified as the announcement of the construction of a "non-liberal state" in 2014.
This year, however, we cannot complain about the summertime news deficit. In the global arena, the Orban government has been pouring fuel into the fire for weeks in the anti-Ukrainian campaign. On the front of the culture, the Prime Minister's propaganda almost regular fuel moods against the alleged "inventions" of Hungarian youth and music culture. Additionally, there is simply a continuous run aimed at conservative opposition leader Péter Magyar, whose TISZA organization (respect and freedom) recorded further evidence results in the polls.
Nine months stay until the parliamentary elections in Hungary, due to take place in April 2026. But the atmosphere of change is already becoming clearer. A large part of the Hungarian public expects a change in power and a systemic fresh start. The Orban government responds to these moods by intensifying the campaign, which increasingly polarizes society.
Digital civic forums
On Saturday (26.07.2025), the Prime Minister of Hungary officially inaugurated the election run with his yearly speech at Baile Tusnad. His rival, Péter Magyar, responded almost simultaneously with a speech before supporters in Székesfehérvár, in the west of the country. This was 1 of the events within the 80-day tour of the opposition leader around the country, which symbolically is to end on October 23 – on the anniversary of the 1956 anti-communist and anti-Soviet revolution.
After these speeches there is no doubt: next year's elections will, as Magyar himself put it, in his speech, "referendum on Viktor Orban". It will be the main subject of the next 9 months of his dismissal or maintenance from power.
In this year's speech in Baile Tușnad, the Prime Minister of Hungary adopted an exceptionally conciliation speech for his standards. He refrained from insulting words against opponents and did not usage utmost right rhetoric. As an election mark for 2026, he announced by his organization Fidesz (The Union of Young Democrats) 87 of 106 single-mandate seats in parliament. To accomplish this, Orban called for the creation of alleged digital civic forums.
A claim for exclusive presentation of the nation
"Citizen Forums" are tiny local sympathic groups that Viktor Orban initiated after his election defeat in 2002. Their members did not gotta belong to Fidesz, but they worked for Orban and his organization throughout the country. Orban then called for their creation to be memorable in the sentence: "The Fatherland cannot be in opposition." Since then, he has identified himself and his party—meaning "national camp"—with all Hungarian nationality. Everyone else is outside that circle, or even considered traitors.
Digital civic forums are now intended to aid the Prime Minister of Hungary to become more attractive on social media. due to the fact that among young voters, especially in a generation under the age of 35, Orban and his party, are peculiarly bad. They are hated, among another things, due to their claims to represent the nation exclusively.
Are Hungary inactive fulfilling its commitments to NATO?
Orban explicitly rejects Hungary's further ties with the West and integration into the European Union. Of the six planet centres of power, Hungary maintains good relations with five: Americans, Russians, Chinese, Indians and Turkey. The exception is Brussels, with which relations are very bad. Orban does not promise to improve, and even threatens to veto the fresh EU budget if Brussels continues to support Ukraine and accelerate its integration with the Union. Unlike Western Europe, Hungary does not intend to quit its "cultural-Christian values". Orban summed up his attitude clearly: Hungary does not intend to engage in "war, migration and sex issues" – as Brussels wants to.
Orban stressed that Hungary's "great strategy" is to make the country "great and rich again". The Prime Minister left the issue open whether Hungary would fulfil its obligations to NATO under his rule. According to Orban, the 3rd planet war is becoming increasingly probable, and so Hungary must absolutely avoid engaging in conflicts, should keep good relations with all planet centres of power. However, he did not mention, in this context, a possible script of the Russian attack on the NATO associate State.
Pro-European Magyar
The exact other of Orban's speech was the speech of the conservative opposition leader, Péter Magyar, in West Hungarian Shekesfehervar under the slogan "The Place of Hungary in Europe and in the World". At the very beginning, he emphasized the European and Western unions of Hungary reaching the founding of the state in 1000, and besides clearly cut off from Russia, its war against Ukraine and Russian aggression policy in general. He assured the European Union of Hungary's constructive-critical approach as a associate and NATO's unequivocal loyalty as an ally. He besides promised to make Hungary a partner again, which is predictable and trustworthy.
Conscious of global attention to Orban and Hungary during the last weekend of July, Magyar, for the first time in his speech, deliberately influenced many abroad policy threads and spoke of himself as a future premiere.
Not only did he distance himself from Russia, but he specifically referred to the Hungarian-Polish relations destroyed by Orban. He even spoke a fewer words in Polish and announced that his first journey as Prime Minister would take him to Warsaw. another Hungarian neighbours were assured of constructive and partnership.
Prominent Speaker
Péter Magyar, a erstwhile associate of Fidesz and ex-husband Judit Varga of the erstwhile Minister of Justice in the Orban government, gained a reputation as a renegade a year and a half ago. He has since made an unprecedented career as a political opponent of the current Prime Minister. He is simply a born talker who can frequently bring tens of thousands of dissatisfied Hungarians to the streets. It presents positions akin to the positions of the Fidesz Orban party, but without its firmness and claim to exclusivity. Like Orban, Magyar opposes the swift membership of Ukraine in the EU, but advocates a prudent and calm discussion on this subject.
Magyar can take distant Orban and his party's password and simultaneously exposure the hypocrisy of the Prime Minister and Fidesz. At times, it is bordering on populism. Many times in powerful speeches, the state promised freedom from corruption, transparency and the end of social divisions. Both of these demands are addressed to many disappointed voters of Orban.
Most independent media and observers did not see both statements of politicians simply as opposing, but as a clash of 2 different value systems. However, the question is whether Hungarians will be free to choose between them or whether Orban will do anything to prevent the failure of power. In his speech in Tusnad, the Prime Minister stated that "we decided that Tisza and DK (left-liberal opposition party, ed.) would not be allowed into the government due to the fact that we want Hungary to have a peaceful and national government". However, the Prime Minister did not explain what banning participation in government would mean for the opposition.
