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Ruling Fidesz and challenger Tisza both secure signatures in all Hungarian constituencies on first day of campaign
Hungary’s official election campaign for the 2026 parliamentary vote began on Saturday morning with a rapid show of strength from both the ruling Fidesz–KDNP alliance and the opposition Tisza Party, as both parties announced they had already collected the required number of nomination signatures in all 106 individual constituencies.
Under Hungarian election law, each parliamentary candidate must gather at least 500 valid voter recommendations to be officially registered. Although the collection period runs until early March, both political camps claimed to have met the threshold within hours of the campaign’s launch.
Orbán: “We are big, we are strong”
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán announced on Facebook on Saturday morning that Fidesz candidates had already secured the necessary backing nationwide.
“We are big, we are strong and we will win,” he wrote.
Later, he shared a short video while travelling to Békéscsaba, speaking by phone with party director Gábor Kubatov, who reported that their first completed set of signatures came from Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén County. Orbán said activists were receiving a positive reception from voters and dismissed suggestions of a growing anti-government mood as “a huge lie”.
Tisza claims early lead
Almost simultaneously, Péter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, posted his own update, stating that his movement had also gathered the minimum number of signatures in every constituency within roughly an hour.
Speaking from Budapest’s District XII, Magyar said activists across the country reported long queues at Tisza stalls. Despite already meeting the legal requirement, he added that the party would continue collecting endorsements, aiming for at least 1,000 signatures per district to demonstrate broader support.
According to Magyar, some governing party candidates were still struggling to submit enough recommendations, indirectly challenging the Prime Minister’s earlier claims.
Signature drive continues
Election rules allow voters to support more than one candidate, and parties traditionally continue collecting signatures well beyond the minimum to avoid invalid entries and show organisational strength.
The official 50-day campaign period now permits poster placements and full-scale campaigning, with candidates able to gather recommendations until the early March deadline. Hungary’s parliamentary election will take place on 12 April 2026.
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Yawn….
Oh, I mean, I am very surprised two parties with support in the millions were able to get 200k signatures. Yeah, that’s so unexpected……. yeah….