Peter Magyar Obsessively Following PM Orban's Agenda Is Seen As a Risk Factor

Peter Magyar increasingly builds his political strategy on Viktor Orban's agenda, rather than developing independent issues. This strategy is failing in an ever more visible way, said Janos Zila, an analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights. The Tisza Party is unable to significantly expand its voter base, while centrist voters are becoming increasingly cautious about it.

Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party (Photo: Balazs Hatlaczki)

Peter Magyar is making ever more obvious attempts to latch onto Viktor Orban's political activities. The reason for this is that both the leadership of the Tisza Party and its allies are fully aware of their increasingly stable disadvantage compared to the right wing, pointed out Janos Zila, an analyst at the Center for Fundamental Rights.

Peter Magyar obsessively follows Viktor Orban

As is known,Viktor Orban held an international press conference on Monday. Just a few hours later, Peter Magyar attempted to copy the Prime Minister's performance. While PM Orban responded at length and calmly to dozens of questions, including openly provocative ones, Peter Magyar became visibly angry over the issues raised by the press, and his event attracted only minimal interest.

Peter Magyar Obsessively Follows Viktor Orban

This was not the first time Peter Magyar tries to copy the Prime Minister. A few days after Viktor Orban, as he does every year, attended the Balvanyos Summer Free University in Baile Tusnad and delivered a speech there, Peter Magyar decided to travel to Transylvania, where the Tisza Party organized a camp. The event was met with embarrassing indifference, with no more than forty or fifty people standing around, most of whom were activists transported from Budapest or staff of some leftist-liberal media outlets.

 Don't show this, these few people, Peter Magyar burst out in Transylvania

The lack of interest was so striking that during the live broadcast it could be heard that Peter Magyar asked his crew not to show how few people were attending. Barely a week after the fiasco in Transylvania, Peter Magyar decided to follow the Prime Minister to Kotcse, where the civic, national side has held its picnic for decades. Although the appearance of the Tisza Party president failed to attract crowds, he remained convinced it was worth continuing to copy Viktor Orban.  As a result, on October 23, the day of the Peace March, Peter Magyar announced his own march to Heroes Square. Later, the Tisza Party leader decided to run after the Prime Minister wherever the national side held anti-war rallies. This is how Peter Magyar ended up in Gyor, Kecskemet, and he also delivered a speech in Szeged.

Magyar Seeks Momentum Through Generating Tension

According to Janos Zila, Peter Magyar hopes that by generating tension at these events he can mobilize his own base. However, the analyst believes this strategy is failing more and more visibly. On the one hand, the repeated pattern is becoming increasingly boring in the eyes of voters.

On the other hand, the Tisza Party's real problem is that it is unable to meaningfully expand its voter base.

The expert added that while the Tisza's inner core remains active, centrist voters increasingly see Peter Magyar as a risk factor and are therefore gradually turning toward the right wing. A decisive role in this shift is played by the fact that Peter Magyar's allies are found in Brussels and Kyiv, and they think in terms of a war economy rather than peace, which creates a serious trust deficit around the Tisza Party.

Voters who are seeking physical and financial security consider Peter Magyar anything but reliable on crucial issues such as war, migration, or tax policy.

As elections approach, people increasingly turn toward issues that fundamentally shape their future.

Janos Zila took the view that due to his dependence on Brussels, Peter Magyar is incapable of giving reassuring answers to these questions and therefore he is not seen as a sovereign political leader. The analyst finally emphasized that Peter Magyar's attempts to copy Viktor Orban in formal elements cannot be regarded as meaningful political responses. These efforts offer no real alternative and are unable to compensate for the shortcomings in credibility and strategy facing the Tisza Party.

Cover photo: Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party (Photo: Balazs Hatlaczki)