Leaked recording: PM Orbán on the secret weapon he plans to use to win the 2026 elections

On Sunday, Viktor Orbán spoke at the Fighters’ Club training camp in Zánka about how he intends to win an election unlike any Hungary has seen in 20 years, as polls show that, for the first time in two decades, Fidesz is not in the lead. According to a recording leaked to Telex, Orbán made several surprising remarks, including admitting that the party is performing poorly in certain areas. Nevertheless, he managed to rally his audience, suggesting that improvements will soon be made in several respects.

A turning point after 20 years in Hungarian politics

According to opinion polls, for the first time since 2006, the Hungarian Prime Minister faces the real possibility of losing the parliamentary elections. Back in 2006, Orbán lost in a tight race to Ferenc Gyurcsány, the then DK leader, who has since retired, under a more proportional, two-round voting system. In 2010, Orbán won a two-thirds majority under that same system, a result he repeated three times thereafter. However, from 2014 onwards, the electoral system became less proportional and increasingly skewed in favour of the winner. Now, this could backfire — if another political camp gains the advantage, the system could hand them a two-thirds or even stronger majority in Parliament.

Current polls show Péter Tisza’s party leading well ahead of Fidesz. While the challenger is campaigning extensively across rural areas — seeking to win supporters even in small villages and the staunchest Fidesz strongholds — Orbán’s team is working to strike back at Tisza wherever possible, while widely distributing incentives to lure back voters lost due to scandals and economic hardships.

Is Orbán in serious trouble?

Part of the campaign involves setting up the so-called Fighters’ Club and Digital Civic Circles, because, according to the Prime Minister, daily battles in public life can only be won through these groups — through comments and likes. Winning every day, he says, is essential; the next six months must not be dominated by ridicule or outrage directed at the indulgences of certain Fidesz members online. Although not expressed in exactly these words, Orbán spoke on Sunday at the Zánka “training camp” in a similar vein about the role of his “warriors”.

A one-hour recording of this speech was leaked to Telex. Political analyst Szabolcs Dull, head of the portal’s political analysis team, considers this a bad sign for the Fidesz regime, noting that leaks were previously rare unless deliberate. Even if intentional, he argues, it still signals trouble, indicating that Orbán is facing serious difficulties.

Change is necessary

Orbán believes that the 2026 election will be decided both online and on the ground. However, he admits that the party is currently underperforming in both areas. This admission is striking because Fidesz had previously characterised Tisza as an “online party” weak on the ground. Yet now Orbán acknowledges that not only are Fidesz’s Kubatov lists outdated, but their mobilisation system is rusty too.

He stated that every voter should be known by name and contacted two or three times during the campaign; the final week should be spent entirely on the ground, and on election day, everyone must be brought out to vote. From his speech, it appears that the usually well-oiled Kubatov machine may be faltering.

The online arena also seems to pose a challenge for Fidesz — a surprising development given the vast sums of money spent on buying likes and views for various pieces of content. Yet the powerful wave of online criticism, which has even paralysed the Prime Minister’s Facebook page for months, appears to have reached the party’s core and prompted a reaction from its leadership.

Orbán aims to establish digital battalions: members of the Fighters’ Club are expected to comment on and like posts for at least half an hour each day, while members of the Digital Civic Circles will be responsible for likes and a few minutes of daily online activity.

Why is a two-thirds majority necessary?

Orbán argues that a qualified majority is essential because, if the country’s politics were decided through full democratic competition, dangerous outcomes — such as the influx of migrants seen in Western countries — could follow. He claims that a strong governing party with broad authority is needed to make swift and, in his view, sound decisions on all major issues.

The Prime Minister had no kind words for his opponent, asserting that the core of Tisza’s party is “a congregation of bad people” who must be defeated and driven out.

According to reports, he managed to convince an audience of around 1,500 people. However, even on his own Facebook page, the mood has barely shifted — the majority of comments remain highly critical.

The latest Publicus poll, published five days ago, shows Tisza leading Fidesz by between 4% and 7% across various voter groups, including the general population, sure voters, and committed party supporters.

Click to read more articles concerning the 2026 general elections.