Could Orbán lose the 2026 election over Minister Lázár’s ‘toilet-cleaning gypsies’ remark? Alarmingly stark poll data emerges

Hungarian Transport and Construction Minister János Lázár recently remarked at a Lázárinfó event that, since there are no migrants in Hungary, jobs such as cleaning train lavatories ought to be filled from the domestic labour reserve—and in this regard, he singled out the Roma community. The statement has sent ripples far and wide, prompting protests against Lázár, while the Two-Tailed Hungarian Dog Party reckoned it would be a lark to adorn the statues in the Gypsy Musicians’ Park with toilet brushes.

Here is the passage in question:

To whom have Lázár’s words reached?

János Lázár, the Minister for Construction and Transport, has seen his notorious remark reach 59 per cent of Hungarian society, according to a nationally representative Europion survey, with that proportion of respondents indicating they “know exactly what it’s about” after the quote was presented. A further 19 per cent reported that the quote “rang a bell”, while only one in five respondents said they were hearing about the matter for the first time. The issue has even pierced the political bubble: 42 per cent of those who rely solely on government-aligned media, and 53 per cent of those who (still) voted for the ruling parties in the 2024 European Parliament elections, claim to know precisely what the quote refers to.

Similar proportions emerge when respondents were asked in an open-ended question to identify the source: a clear majority (63 per cent) correctly named János Lázár, while 35 per cent gave no meaningful answer or did not know, and 2 per cent attributed it to someone else. Among those relying exclusively on government-aligned press, the figure was 51 per cent; among 2024 EP election supporters of the ruling parties, it was 53 per cent.

What do Hungarians make of the speech?

Public opinion on the remark is relatively clear-cut: two-thirds of respondents deem it “outrageous and unfit for public discourse”; 14 per cent find it “unappealing but acceptable in a campaign”; and only one in five Hungarians sees nothing wrong with it, viewing Lázár as simply stating the truth. Party-political divides sharpen here compared to awareness levels: Tisza voters, closely followed by other opposition voters, are near-unanimous in condemning it as outrageous (92 per cent and 79 per cent respectively), while the ruling-party base is split.

About a third (34 per cent) opted for the strictest response, with a further 22 per cent critical but more lenient (“acceptable in a campaign”). Non-partisans align more closely with opposition views: 66 per cent call it outrageous, and 14 per cent are critically lenient. Figure I here

Tens of thousands of Fidesz supporters would force Lázár to resign

Public views are less clear-cut on how the affair should be resolved. Just over half of Hungarians (52 per cent) say an apology is insufficient and Lázár should resign, while 36 per cent believe the apology closes the matter (with the remaining 11 per cent saying no apology was needed). Examining demographic groups, Budapest residents and graduates are stricter than average (63 per cent and 64 per cent respectively, calling for resignation). Politically, the pattern holds: Tisza voters are near-consensus (89 per cent for resignation), while ruling-party supporters are more critical yet lenient (64 per cent say the apology suffices). Even so, one in five ruling-party voters believes Lázár should resign.

Hungarian-Roma coexistence deteriorates

Hungarians take a rather critical view of Roma-non-Roma coexistence under the Orbán governments: a relative majority (42 per cent) say it has worsened, with only 18 per cent saying it has improved and 41 per cent seeing no change. The youngest cohort, aged 16-29, is especially critical (59 per cent say it has worsened), compared to just a third (33 per cent) of those over 60. Notably, residents of small villages—most exposed to such issues—are less critical (36 per cent) than those in county seats (43 per cent) or especially Budapest (48 per cent).

This may partly reflect party preference, which strongly shapes views; recent surveys show ruling parties remain heavily over-represented in small villages. Accordingly, just 11 per cent of ruling-party supporters are critical, with 41 per cent saying coexistence has improved under Orbán. Among Tisza voters, the ratios are reversed and starker: 62 per cent say it has worsened, versus just 4 per cent saying improved (Figure II here).

Methodology and funding

Europion collected the data on 2 February 2025 via mobile and web applications. The sample size was 1,500, with results representative of Hungary’s population aged 16 and over by gender, age group, education, settlement type, and region.

The firm added: “Rapid polls for the media are funded by Europion’s own resources, with no client or interested party behind them.”

If you missed our previous articles covering the scandal:

• Hungarian minister’s remarks link Roma community to train toilet cleaning: Roma teacher responds
• Péter Magyar: János Lázár to be Fidesz prime ministerial candidate in place of PM Orbán
• PM Orbán called Roma protesters at a public forum “organised criminals”