For Two Days, All Eyes Will Be on Hungary

Foreign funding to gain influence, global interests and Hungarian resistance — the debate on the transparency bill is not merely a legal-technical matter but a clash of worldviews, foreshadowing the stakes of the 2026 elections. The proposal doesn't persecute, just filters to prevent those who serve foreign interests from shaping public life in Hungary. Meanwhile, CPAC Hungary is already proclaiming the dawn of the Patriots' Era, with hopes for a conservative world revolution beginning in Budapest. But what can the world learn from the Hungarian Right, and who really fears transparency? Magyar Nemzet discussed these questions and more with Miklos Szantho, director of the Center for Fundamental Rights, the organizer of the two-day event.

Miklos Szantho, Director General of the Center for Fundamental Rights (Photo: Krisztian Mate)

What does the proposed transparency law mean in practice, and in what way does it tighten the rules — if it does at all?
There's a lot of noise around it, but the matter is simple: from now on, actors won’t be able to commit treason funded by foreign money. The proposal merely states that organizations that influence public life using foreign funding in ways that threaten sovereignty — especially constitutional values like peace, security or the family — will be entered on a list. If a foreign donor — be it an EU "civil" fund or the Open Society Foundations (OSF) — tries to transfer money to them, the bank will suspend it and Hungary's national tax authority will investigate.

If it turns out that the money is intended to fulfill the donor’s instructions or goals, the bank simply returns the funds. I don't see this as a deviation from the rule of law — in fact, the U.S. and France enforce even stricter measures against foreign agent activities.

Honestly, I don't understand the whining of media outlets 444, Telex, or Partizan: according to their own consistent, long-held arguments, they operate primarily from domestic micro-donations. If that's true, there’s no need for panic. If not, and if they've lied about this, then we can rightly assume they’ve lied about other things too — like claiming migration is good, sensitization to gender issues is necessary, war is inevitable, or Ukraine’s EU membership benefits all. They're being exposed — and they fear this, but are falling into a trap of their own making.

There was huge interest in last year's CPAC Hungary (Photo: ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP)

How serious is the danger of foreign money influencing elections or public life — whether through civil or political channels? What are some striking recent examples?
Just consider the 'rolling dollars' scandal, the EU 'civil' funds opened to political activism in recent years, or the OSF’s decades of subversion in Hungary. The entire Hungarian leftist-liberal machinery runs on foreign money and represents globalist interests here at home: that's why they can't comprehend that the Hungarian Right prioritizes national interests. This globalist–sovereigntist divide is reflected in current debates, too. Just look at who sides with Ukraine instead of Hungary. They’ve simply replaced the puppet politician — now it happens to be Peter Magyar — but the background forces remain unchanged.

Telex, 444, HVG, and others, along with local outposts of human rights fundamentalist organizations, continue their same mission — whether it's migration, gender propaganda, or other issues. Their sole goal is to remove sovereigntist forces from decision-making roles, because we are the thorn in their side, the pebble in their shoe. That’s what's at stake in the 2026 elections.

Miklos Szantho was a recent guest on Magyar Nemzet's Rapid program (Photo: Istvan Mirko)

CPAC Hungary kicks off on May 29. What message are you hoping to send with the 2025 event and its motto, 'The Age of Patriots Is Here'?
We must raise awareness that we are not a glitch in the system — we are the opposition to the globalist system. Since its start in 2022, CPAC Hungary has become a global platform for anti-globalist forces. Though Brussels and their local collaborators want to convince us that we're the minority, I see the opposite globally. The radical progressive, neo-Marxist revolution in Western Europe is fading, and a counter-revolution of common sense is underway. Hungary and the Hungarian Right are engines of this movement, and CPAC Hungary is its symbol.

Yes, CPAC started off as a major American conservative event — and today, the U.S. president is Donald Trump. His return to the White House only confirms that a new world has emerged by the end of the 21st century's first quarter.

This shift is unique in that geopolitical shift is happening alongside a cultural crisis, especially in the West. Elsewhere — but now even in America — sanity and normalcy are gaining ground with a growing emphasis on tradition, national identity, protecting families and children, and peace over war. This return to sanity has also started in Europe but is being artificially and brutally suppressed in places like France, Germany, and Poland.

Our goal with CPAC Hungary is to bring together these patriotic waves from Europe, America, and beyond — to launch the age of patriots from Budapest. We must win the 2026 elections at home so we can fight — not for abstract ideals, but for the security and peace of our children, families and nation.

I do not find appealing the future progressive liberals offer  — a world where preschoolers are "sensitized" by bearded drag queens in fishnet stockings waving Ukrainian flags while singing “Free, free Palestine.”

What are current Hungarian–American relations like? Can the bond between American and Hungarian patriots counterbalance globalist subversion?
Reality must be measured against possible alternatives: imagine Hungarian–American relations today if the U.S. had a Democrat president! If nothing else, we can thank Trump for preventing both Hillary Clinton and Kamala Harris from becoming president. Beyond that, after David Pressman, a refreshingly cultured diplomat now heads the U.S. Embassy in Budapest, political sanctions lists have been removed, opportunities have opened up for Hungarian companies to do business overseas, USAID was shut down — overall, I'd say things are going well. Most importantly, Trump is helping Hungary by pushing the Ukraine conflict toward ceasefire and peace talks. That’s our top short-term priority, and in this we are fully aligned with Washington.

Miklos Szantho was a recent guest on Magyar Nemzet's Rapid program (Photo: Istvan Mirko)

How is the U.S. Right's relationship with the Hungarian right different from the American Left's ties to the Hungarian Left?
The American and Hungarian Right share a strong alliance, rooted in several common values including God, country, family. No matter what is said about the brutality of politics, these shared values matter — even at the negotiation table.

Trump isn’t our savior — he is our brother-in-arms. He doesn't want peace in Ukraine solely for Hungary’s sake, but we’re on the same side. Shutting down USAID wasn’t just for us, but it was clear that their funds were used to promote anti-Trump content in Hungary and to push for migration, gender ideology, war, Ukraine, and the Tisza Party. It’s a package deal. We should have no doubts: with the U.S. dollar taps finally turned off, Brussels is doubling efforts to replace the missing funding with euros.

The morally depraved Hungarian Left is dependent, ideologically and financially, on their globalist backers — whether American or European. The best example: Peter Magyar’s relationship with the European People’s Party (EPP). Manfred 'Darth' Weber stated clearly: if you want to join, you must support more Europe, Ukraine and the rule of law. And lo and behold: Magyar immediately joined the ranks of the unconditional supporters of Ukraine’s EU membership. Coincidence? I think not.

Why has the Hungarian Right gained such prominence internationally? What can others learn from us?
The Hungarian Right has become a reference point internationally for the conservative and patriotic community — maybe even for the Left, though they’d never admit it. We're the last political force in power that, grounded in national priorities, resists globalist influence and destabilization. Elsewhere, it's easier for globalists: the leading right-wing French candidate was banned from running, the most popular German sovereigntist party is facing threats of being banned, and in Poland, it's like Kadar and Jaruzelski kissing each other.

Though in government, the Hungarian Right remains the opposition to the international liberal system on crucial issues: migration, gender, war, and Ukraine's EU accession.

The reality is: Brussels is the power, they are the elite — corrupt, nepotistic, the true "1984" where war is peace, freedom is slavery, ignorance is strength. We are the ones rebelling against this, organizing a revolution against this. We want nothing more than to be left in peace. But for that, we need allies. As Prime Minister Orban said at CPAC Hungary in 2022 in his 12 points: "Find friends!" That’s what CPAC Hungary represents.

With figures like Viktor Orban, Ben Shapiro, Dave Rubin, Yair Netanyahu and Santiago Abascal coming to Budapest, what does this mean for Hungary’s conservative community?
First and foremost: recognition — not just for the Center for Fundamental Rights, but for the entire Hungarian Right. And there are even more big names to be announced soon. Leaders, ministers, politicians, journalists, researchers, influencers are coming from all corners of the world.

For two days, the eyes of the conservative world will be on Budapest — and the Left's bile will flow. We’re looking forward to both.