PM Orban Sets the Course for 2026

The topics addressed by Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban point to a clear direction—and a clear choice—heading into the 2026 elections, Miklos Szantho said in his assessment of the PM's speech to a packed auditorium in Kecskemet. Meanwhile, opposition Tisza Party chief Peter Magyar followed the prime minister to Kecskemet as well, but only a few hundred people showed up to his event. Based on what he saw, analyst Daniel Deak says it is no surprise that recent polls show rising support for Mr Orban and Fidesz, with 15 percent more voters now considering him better suited to lead the country than Peter Magyar.

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on the DPK nation-wide tour (Photo: Balazs Ladoczki)

New Topics Every Week

Analyst Daniel Deak noted that although the antiwar rallies of the Digital Civic Circles (DPK) follow a similar structure each week, they are far from repetitive. New moderators sit opposite the prime minister at each event, and new topics surface in the Q&A every time. 

Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Jeno Csiszar at the anti-war rally in Kecskemet organized by the Digital Civic Circles (DPK) (Photo: Prime Minister's Office Communications Department/Zoltan Fischer)

This time, for example, a question from Klara Dobrev DK party president was read aloud—prompting what Deak described as a sharp and powerful response from the prime minister. 

Ordinary opposition commenters’ questions were also included, and Orban responded with comprehensive, detailed explanations.

Deak added that Orban appeared calm, focused, and energetic—“a leader who knows exactly what he wants,” looking ahead to where the ball will be, rather than reacting to where it is currently, confidently knowing what the next move will be.

He emphasized that Orban is able to bring seemingly distant matters—like a war or diplomatic talks in Washington or Moscow—down to the level of everyday life, 

and clearly explains how their outcomes matter and how they affect every Hungarian.

Given all this, Deak said, it is no surprise that the latest polling shows growing support for Viktor Orban and Fidesz with a margin of 15 percent considering him more suitable to lead Hungary than Peter Magyar, noted the analyst from the XXI Century Institute.

Peter Magyar’s Rough Day

Daniel Deak also posted a drone photo taken at 2:32 pm, noting that Magyar had already been on stage for some time.

Again Peter Magyar followed Viktor Orban—this time to Kecskemet. But while the prime minister filled a sports arena, only a few hundred people showed up for Magyar’s event. As at the previous event in Nyiregyhaza, embarrassingly few - at most a few hundred people were interested in the Tisza Party's event,

the analyst wrote. He added that the Tisza Party leader's popularity has not benefited from the recent leak of his party’s left-wing austerity package.

Journalist Daniel Bohar urged readers to compare crowd sizes, pointing out that the lower photo was taken when Peter Magyar was already speaking.
(Photo: Daniel Bohar's Facebook page)

“Peter Magyar hasn’t had a good few weeks. After the Tisza package leaked—revealing their brutal austerity plans—his events have less pull and his support is slipping, even according to left-leaning pollsters, while Fidesz is strengthening,” Deak noted.

Bohar likewise commented on Facebook also sharing the drone photo:

“Week after week, Peter Magyar trudges along behind Viktor Orban. And the gap keeps getting bigger.”

He argued that Magyar’s strategy is not working, and that the Tisza Party’s support is weakening steadily.

At the Kecskemet small market, Bohar wrote, Magyar Peter’s expression “said it all.”(Photo: Attila Polyak)

The Tisza’s copycat tour has flopped badly. Kecskemet is their biggest failure yet,

the journalist remarked.

Voters, Bohar added, are not responding well to tax-hike plans:

It’s simple. If you want to raise taxes, your support is going to shrink.

Cover photo: Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban on the DPK nation-wide tour (Photo: Balazs Ladoczki)