Magyar: cap PM term to two cycles, suspend public media news – Hungary election 2026 today

Magyar Péter, leader of the Tisza Party and its candidate for prime minister, said on Sunday that if his party wins with a two-thirds majority, he would move to amend Hungary’s Fundamental Law and limit the prime minister’s office to two terms. Speaking to journalists after casting his ballot in Budapest, he also predicted very high turnout and urged authorities to act decisively on any election-related offences.

As we wrote earlier, Magyar voted at around 8:30am at the Hegyvidéki Mesevár Kindergarten polling station in Budapest’s 12th district, before holding a press briefing amid strong media interest.

Turnout, tight races and reports of irregularities

Magyar said he expects record turnout and suggested that in some constituencies a single vote — or just a few votes — could decide the outcome. He also stated that roughly 60 reports had been submitted so far to what he described as the Tisza Party’s election-fraud reporting platform.

He called on the authorities to “do their job” in line with their oath and to apply the law strictly if they encounter wrongdoing. In a pointed remark, Magyar warned potential perpetrators against taking risks, saying he would not advise anyone to “go to prison instead of the Fidesz mafia”.

Confidence in victory and conditions for accepting results

Asked whether he expects his party to lose, Magyar said he does not. He argued that, in his view, it would be unreasonable to think the Tisza Party — and “with it Hungary” — would not win the election.

At the same time, he indicated that acceptance of the outcome would depend on whether there were election irregularities significant enough to have decisively influenced the result. In other words, Magyar suggested that the result should be accepted provided that no serious fraud occurred that materially changed the final outcome.

He also said he intends to take up his parliamentary mandate and sit in the National Assembly.

When asked whether he had reached out to any existing Fidesz contacts to wish them good luck, he replied simply: “No.”

Business elites and a potential Tisza government

Questioned about what should be done with entrepreneurs who may have distanced themselves from Fidesz, Magyar said he does not believe there is “anything to do”, adding that major pro-government business figures have not approached him.

On the composition of a potential Tisza government, Magyar declined to provide names at this stage, responding with the phrase: “Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.” He said the results must come first, but added that the party has candidates in mind for every portfolio.

First steps if Tisza wins big: term limits, anti-corruption and public media changes

Magyar’s most concrete pledge concerned constitutional change. He said that if Tisza were to secure a two-thirds majority, the party would modify the Fundamental Law and cap the prime minister’s term at two cycles.

He also outlined a list of measures he said could follow quickly after a victory. These included:

• Anti-corruption steps from the outset
• The creation of a National Office for Asset Recovery and Protection (as he described it)
• Submitting Hungary’s application to join the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO)
• Assessing how power would be transferred from the current government

In addition, Magyar said his side would not shut down Hungary’s public media, but would suspend its news service until balanced reporting can be guaranteed.

Hungarian Public Media operates on a budget of hundreds of billions of forints annually, and as can be seen on its website or Facebook page, it does not appear to adhere to the principle of balanced public information.

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Why it matters for readers abroad

Magyar’s promise to introduce term limits for the prime minister would mark a significant institutional change in Hungary’s political system, while his anti-corruption agenda is framed around stronger oversight mechanisms and closer alignment with European enforcement structures. His remarks on public media point to a potential immediate intervention in state broadcasting, presented by his camp as a temporary step tied to restoring balance.

Whether these proposals become actionable will depend not only on the election outcome, but also on parliamentary arithmetic — particularly whether any winning party is able to legislate at constitutional level.

As the vote continues, attention will also focus on turnout trends, reports of irregularities, and how political actors frame the legitimacy of the final result in the hours and days ahead.