BBC World Questions: Will PM Orbán prevail in April? – video

Panelists on the BBC World Questions podcast debated Hungary’s parliamentary elections in April 2026, focusing on whether Prime Minister Viktor Orbán or his challenger from the Tisza Party, Péter Magyar, will emerge victorious. Their predictions rest on polls, economic pressures, policy towards Ukraine, allegations of corruption, and the incumbent’s systemic advantages, with no firm consensus among them.

András László, an Orbán MEP, predicts Fidesz victory

László casts Fidesz and its Christian Democrat allies as clear favourites, citing their unbroken rule since 2010 and a “proven track record” of stability amid global uncertainty. He argues that Hungary’s international prominence under Orbán—bolstered by ties to the Trump administration—has put the country “on the map”, rendering Fidesz the “safe bet” despite its imperfections. On Ukraine, he highlights Fidesz’s fulfilment of its 2022 pledge to block weapons transit and avoid escalation, predicting continued peace efforts now aligned with shifting U.S. policy, in contrast to what he calls the “unrealistic” demands of Europe. We would only add that Péter Magyar and the Tisza Party have likewise stated they would not transport weapons to Ukraine. Click and read Tisza top diplomat Anita Orbán’s vision about Hungary’s foreign policy turn.

Tímea Szabó (Greens MP): Tisza will win

Szabó asserts that Tisza will triumph, backed by “all the polling agencies” which have shown months-long leads, as Hungarians grow “sick and tired” of Fidesz’s corruption, stolen EU funds, a lagging economy (with high inflation and record deficits), and false threats of war—insisting that no neighbour, such as Poland, is embroiled in conflict. She frames Fidesz’s longevity as enabled by demolished checks and balances (captured courts and audits), media dominance (over 1,000 outlets), and the persecution of opposition figures, all of which have cost Hungary billions in frozen EU cohesion funds.

Boris Kálnoky (journalist, MCC Media School): Fidesz with the edge

Kálnoky detects momentum shifting towards Fidesz since the summer, when Tisza led the polls amid a focus on corruption; now, cost-of-living concerns have eased for the incumbents, Péter Magyar’s prime ministerial credibility has dropped from 55 per cent to 42 per cent, and more respondents expect Orbán to win—much like U.S. polls that presaged Donald Trump’s victory. He warns that a Tisza government would entangle Hungary in EU aid to Ukraine using citizens’ money, thereby validating fears of indirect involvement in war.

Zsuzsanna Szelényi (CEU academic): Tisza has the chances

Szelényi, a former liberal MP, views Tisza’s odds as “massively more advantageous” according to polls and social research showing majority rejection of Fidesz, but she cautions that Orbán’s “party state” could still prevail through unequal footing: more than 30 changes to election law (twice in 2026 alone), the capture of state resources, media control, and a gerrymandered system that requires only 45 per cent of the popular vote for a Fidesz majority (versus 55 per cent for the opposition). She dismisses war propaganda as “unrealistic”, urging preparation for economic woes instead.

Check out the full programme below: