Hungarian Elections

Germany Rejects US Allegations About Hungarian Elections

Germany rejects US Vice President JD Vance's accusations that the EU is interfering in the Hungarian elections, which will be held on Sunday, Politico reports.

Government spokesman Sebastian Hill says that on the contrary, Vance's visit to Budapest suggests that he himself may be guilty of election interference, since he gave his full support to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

- I would like to point out, since Vance complains about the EU's alleged election interference, that the US vice president was in Hungary just a few days before the elections. This fact alone speaks for itself when it comes to who is actually interfering, he says. 

Hungarian Elections
Intelligence: Hungary offered Iran help

Shortly after Israel's major pager attack on the Iranian-backed terror group Hezbollah in 2024, Hungary offered Iran help. This is shown in a transcript of the conversation that a Western intelligence agency has shared with the Washington Post.

In the conversation with his Iranian counterpart, Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó promises to share “all the information we have collected during the investigation”.

– If you need more information or want to contact me, I am always at your disposal.

The pagers were manufactured by a Hungarian company and the country therefore wanted to emphasize that it was not involved in the attack.

At the same time, the conversation with Iran raises several “uncomfortable questions”. First, this took place despite the fact that the United States is at war with Iran, considers Hezbollah a terrorist group and supports Viktor Orbán in the election. Second, Hungary is publicly one of Israel’s closest friends. Third, it raises new questions about Hungary’s ties with Russia, which is closely allied with Iran.

Szijjártó does not deny the conversation, but downplays its content.

New poll: Orbán well behind with days to go

The Hungarian opposition party Tisza is seven percentage points ahead of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's party Fidesz, 41 percent to 34. This is shown by a new opinion poll from Népszava that is being highlighted in the Hungarian media today.

The poll also shows several worrying trends for Orbán, including that 62 percent believe that the country's development is going in the wrong direction.

In a long interview with Hungarian HVG today, Tisza's party leader Péter Magyar says that as an "eternal pessimist" he is not taking anything in advance. He warns of legal appeals and a big "mess" in the transfer of power. But in time he hopes for a new direction.

- Those who have not yet lived in a pluralistic democracy, in a real state of law, will feel an enormous relief, he says.

The Hungarian election — it’s about the issue

• Hungary goes to the polls on April 12. Long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is being challenged by Péter Magyar and the opposition Tisza party, which is leading in opinion polls.
• Several reports have indicated that the Hungarian government under Orbán’s leadership has been leaking sensitive EU information to Russia for years.
• Russia has been conducting disinformation campaigns and considering staging an assassination attempt against Orbán to strengthen his support ahead of the election, according to sources.
• The US government also hopes that Orbán will win the election. In the final spurt of the election campaign, Secretary of State JD Vance visited the country.
• The election is marked by deep economic divisions, corruption allegations and foreign influence. Orbán and Magyar accuse each other of being controlled by foreign interests.