Peter Magyar’s Fake Referendum Set to Fail

Despite previously labeling the government’s national consultation political "theater," Peter Magyar is now copying the idea. The Tisza Party leader announced the initiative during his speech in Budapest on March 15, reviving a long-standing left-wing tradition of criticizing government-organized canvasing of public opinion while attempting (and failing) to imitate them.

Tisza Party Chief Peter Magyar (Photo: Istvan Mirko)

Based on past experience, it is questionable how successful Peter Magyar’s unofficial referendum—announced during his March 15 national holiday speech—will be. This initiative, "The Voice of the Nation," mimics the government’s national consultation and consists of 12+1 questions, covering numerous left-wing proposals, including Ukraine’s EU membership. Another key proposal in the quasi referendum suggests that a prime minister should serve no more than two terms, a measure that would violate Hungary’s Fundamental Law.

This is not the first time the opposition has tried to copy the existing national consultation format. Jobbik, for instance had previously pushed a term-limit proposal for prime ministers. Left-wing parties have consistently criticized government national consultations, in which the government asks Hungarian citizens their opinion on key issues such as child protection and migrant quotas, only to attempt organizing their own versions and failing. 

Last fall, Peter Magyar called the national consultation "theater," but it appears he has now embraced the idea himself.

The unified leftist hope and joint PM candidate Peter Marki-Zay attempted a consultation after his crushing defeat in the 2022 parliamentary elections, but only 25,000 people participated.
By contrast, the government’s 2024 autumn national consultation received 1.252 million responses.
The since all-but-disappeared green LMP, back in 2022, launched the so-called "real referendum" with "real questions" which ultimately garnered only 10,000 responses.

Left-wing Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony and leftist District 9 Mayor Krisztina Baranyi’s 2021 consultation directed against the establishment of a Fudan University campus in Budapest attracted just 30,000 participants.

Jobbik’s creatively named "Real National Consultation" in 2016, failed despite then party leader Gabor Vona's claims of high public demand. Results were only announced months after the end of the campaign, showing only 200,000 participants.
 

The Momentum party also rushed to not be left out of leftist's run of national consultations. The leftist-liberal party's 2020 consultation - also named the "Real National Consultation" - on the government’s COVID-19 response 

also faded into obscurity, with no available data on their publicly accessible website as to online or paper form participation numbers and results. 

Parbeszed, a party barely visible in opinion polls yet always managing a place in Parliament through background political deals, also had their own "Real National Consultation" in 2018. It was proudly declared a success, but participation numbers were never disclosed.
Given the history of failed left-wing consultations, Tisza Party Chief Peter Magyar’s referendum seems likely to follow the same path. Despite his previous criticism of such initiatives, he has now embraced and copied the idea—with uncertain prospects for success.

Cover photo: Tisza Party Chief Peter Magyar (Photo: Istvan Mirko)