POLITICO rates 2026 Hungarian elections as crucial for the EU

According to the Brussels desk of Politico, the upcoming parliamentary elections in Hungary could become the key political event in Europe in 2026. The article notes a high degree of uncertainty in the country’s political landscape, as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who has been in power for the last 15 years, is for the first time facing a formidable opponent in the form of opposition candidate Péter Magyar. At the same time, an Orbán victory is seen as an undesirable scenario due to the divergence between the Hungarian government and common European policies on a number of key issues.

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Magyar himself is presented in the article as the main force opposing the government and a former ally of the prime minister. His rising popularity is attributed to a large-scale election campaign, including high activity on social media.

The authors write about the problems that, in their view, the Orbán government’s policies create for the EU, calling Hungary “one of the biggest headaches” for the bloc. As the publication suggests, particular attention is drawn to Budapest’s leading role among right-wing political forces in the EU that criticize key pan-European initiatives. The publication quotes the thesis that “without Orbán, Czechia’s Andrej Babiš and Slovakia’s Robert Fico would look much more isolated.”

The article also cites the positions of some European politicians. The leader of the Renew Europe group, Valérie Hayer, declares support for “any candidate… who can defeat Orbán.” Also mentioned is the move by European People’s Party (EPP) leader Manfred Weber, who, according to the publication, “welcomed Tisza into their political family,” thereby extending political support to the party.

One of the factors complicating candidate competition, as noted in the article, is the authorities’ control over media resources. At the same time, among popular online media, publications critical of the government predominate, with one of the leading outlets, Telex, characterized as supportive of the opposition party Tisza. The personal activity of Péter Magyar in the media sphere, where he actively interacts with the audience, is also noted.

The POLITICO article comes amid active attention from international media, including Bloomberg, the Financial Times, and CNN, to the political situation in Hungary. Previously, some of these outlets had been involved in discussions about the methods of conducting opinion polls and the reliability of the data used in them.

Overall, the piece from POLITICO’s Brussels desk reflects the tension in relations between Budapest and the EU and emphasizes that the outcome of the Hungarian parliamentary elections will have significant consequences for the internal politics of the European Union.

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