PM Orban's Unstoppable Nationwide Tour Puts Peter Magyar at a Loss

A huge crowd welcomed Viktor Orban on Sunday at the sixth stop of his campaign tour, this time in Hodmezovasarhely. Peter Magyar and his team spent the week scrambling for solutions to the governing parties’ growing momentum. They sent activists to disrupt Viktor Orban’s events, spread lies, and even attempted to attract attention with stunts such as handing out bananas. However, the prime minister continues to set the pace: he is holding large-scale rallies every day this week.

Viktor Orban in Hodmezovasarhely (Photo: Hungarian PM's General Department of Communication/Zoltan Fischer)

Once again, a large crowd gathered in Hodmezovasarhely, where thousands attended the event. Although a small group of Tisza Party activists showed up and attempted to boo the prime minister, their effort went largely unnoticed.

The voice of the crowd completely drowned them out.

The right appears unstoppable, Viktor Orban consistently fills public squares (Photo: Prime Minister’s General Department of Communication/Zoltan Fischer)

Even Peter Marki-Zay, mayor of the town and a staunch supporter of Peter Magyar, lent help to the Tisza activists, saying that ethnic Hungarians in Transcarpathia who do not want to fight for Ukraine are cowards and traitors.

People in Transcarpathia have a duty to defend their homeland and if they don't, then they are cowards,

the city leader aligned with Peter Magyar stated.

Political analyst Daniel Deak took the view that the fact that Peter Magyar is sending Tisza-linked provocateurs to Viktor Orban’s events shows that he is losing ground in the political competition. The analyst from the 21st Century Institute highlighted that 

 this phenomenon clearly reflects a failed campaign strategy.

He also pointed out that following the prime minister’s appearances has become a central theme in Peter Magyar’s communication, with him speaking almost obsessively about Viktor Orban’s events throughout the day. In his view, Viktor Orban’s visible success is increasing political pressure on the leader of the Tisza Party.

However, this was not Péter Magyar’s first desperate attempt in recent days. As is known, since the Peace March on the national holiday of March 15, the right has visibly surged forward and now appears unstoppable. Large crowds have turned out to hear the prime minister in person, filling to capacity the mains squares in Miskolc, Szentendre, Eger, Kaposvar and Dunaujvaros.

Peter Magyar’s team handing out bananas desperately

The success of pro-government events this week has clearly put the Tisza Party in a difficult position. They have attempted to explain the glaring disparity from multiple angles. Claims have emerged suggesting that large crowds at pro-government events are driven by various incentives. Peter Magyar spoke about the distribution of 110,000 sacks of potatoes and onions. Later, another narrative appeared, alleging that Asians were being transported to government events.

Peter Magyar specifically claimed that many “Asian colleagues” (?) appeared in Dobo Square in Eger before Viktor Orban’s speech.

Viktor Orban dismissed these accusations, saying:

There is trouble in the tower on the other side. They are feeling the winds of defeat now that Hungarians have stepped forward.

But that is not all: Peter Magyar and his team have since reportedly been caught handing out bananas to voters in Nograd County, effectively doing the very thing they accused the other side of.

Growing numbers on the right are openly expressing their views

A few days ago,  Zoltan Lomnici Jr. from Szazadveg Foundation told  Magyar Nemzet that public discourse has grown increasingly aggressive in recent times, which may have discouraged right-wing voters from openly expressing their views.

The Peace March, however, gave the patriotic community an opportunity to express its position safely and in large numbers, potentially restoring the voice of those who previously felt sidelined.

According to Mr Lomnici, the inability of Peter Magyar’s camp to mobilize large crowds in rural areas highlights the limitations of the Tisza Party. He argues that the party is more of a big-city, social media–driven phenomenon, while Fidesz maintains a stable base in the countryside.

The expert also noted that opinion polls should be treated with caution, as real political strength is often demonstrated through mobilization. As an example, he pointed to the 2024 US presidential election, where despite polling expectations, Donald Trump ultimately secured a major victory over Kamala Harris.

No Slowdown for Viktor Orban

Viktor Orban's nationwide tour continues this week, with visits to

PM Orban will visit:

• Kecskemet — March 23,
• Nagykanizsa — March 24,
• Esztergom — March 25,
• Torokszentmiklos — March 26,
• Veszprem and Gyor — March 27,
• Pecel — March 28,
• Bekescsaba — March 29.