Orbán’s challenger Péter Magyar was told not to go to his now-famous interview

Péter Magyar, president of Hungary’s opposition Tisza Party, has reflected on the moment he decisively entered Hungarian politics, revealing that several people had tried to dissuade him from giving the now-famous interview in February 2024.

Exhausting eighteen months behind Péter Magyar

Speaking in a personal, Christmas-themed conversation with journalist Nóra Szily, Magyar described that interview as a point of no return in both his public and private life.

The discussion focused on the early stages of his political career and the personal toll of his rapid rise. According to Magyar, when he walked into the Partizán studio, only his mother and “one or two others” knew about it. Several people urged him not to go ahead, but he ignored their advice. “I went in anyway,” he recalled. “And when I came out, they said: ‘Right, then now you have to go all the way.’ It’s a bit like stepping onto a rope stretched over a chasm – once you start, you can’t turn back.”

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The interview was just the start

That interview – which currently has 2.8 million views on YouTube – marked Péter Magyar’s public break with Hungary’s long-dominant National Cooperation System (NER) and propelled him into the role of the most prominent political figure outside the ruling Fidesz party. Since then, he has faced intense pressure, both mentally and physically, which he admits is often difficult to bear. “Not only emotionally, but physically as well, it’s hard to carry the burden that comes with this work,” he said, adding that the pace of events often leaves him little time to reflect on it.

Magyar also spoke candidly about how unprepared he initially was for political life. He said he “jumped in very amateurishly” around eighteen months ago, without fully understanding what lay ahead. The first six months, he explained, were driven largely by momentum. It was only after the European Parliament elections in June last year that he paused to reassess. “I sat down, thought things through and spoke with several people. We came to the conclusion that this can only be done in a more organised way,” he said.

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How to stay calm and lively while travelling across the country

As HVG reported, when asked about the coping mechanisms he has developed, Péter Magyar was frank about their limitations. He said he has learned to count to ten and not to panic – something that proved essential when addressing large crowds for the first time. He recalled his debut speech on Andrássy Avenue on 15 March, when he faced tens of thousands after previously speaking to no more than 120 people in a corporate setting. “It was a shocking experience,” he said. “They practically had to push me onto the stage.”

In the interview, Péter Magyar also noted that, just like Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, he sleeps only three to four hours a night, and nowadays he lives far more disciplinarily, writes his own speeches, and finds renewed energy while travelling across the country to meet supporters.