Putin’s NATO ally faces massive protest

Tens of thousands of protestors of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s policies gathered in Budapest on Saturday to rally.

Orbán, a rare ally for Russian President Vladimir Putin among member nations of the North American Treaty Organization (NATO), is now facing growing momentum from Péter Magyar, the leader of Hungary’s strongest opposition party, called Respect and Freedom (TISZA).

According to the Associated Press, Magyar, a 43-year-old lawyer, addressed the large crowd that filled Budapest Heroes’ Square, saying that he and his movement would build “a more beautiful, peaceful and happy country,” compared to Orbán’s Fidesz right-wing party.

Saturday’s rally was held on the eve of European Union (EU) Parliament elections in the country.

Reuters reported that the latest surveys put support for Orban’s Fidesz at 44 to 48 percent, with Magyar’s Tisza polling in a 23 to 29 percent range. Orbán’s worst result at any EU election was a 47.4 percent showing two decades ago. No opposition party in Hungary has managed to get more than 20 percent since 2009.

Magyar hopes a good showing in the upcoming European Parliament elections will boost himself and his party toward defeating the prime minister in the next national ballot in 2026.

One Magyar supporter, 69-year-old Budapest resident Mária Németh, told the AP on Saturday that she plans to vote for TISZA because of the “filth and lies” in the country’s politics. She said she attributes “lies about the war” in Ukraine to Orbán.

“If Péter Magyar hadn’t come around, I wouldn’t vote,” Németh said. “They tell so many lies about the war. Everyone wants peace, whether on the left or the right, everyone wants peace.”

Newsweek emailed Orbán’s office and sent a message to the TISZA Facebook page Saturday afternoon for comments on Saturday’s rally and the upcoming election. This article will be updated with any provided statements.

In power since 2010, Orbán, also known as the EU’s closest Kremlin ally, has said Sunday’s EU election means nothing less than peace in Europe if his party maintains its stature.

He blames “pro-war” politicians in NATO countries, such as the United States and Belgium, for escalating tensions with Russia over its ongoing war in Ukraine. Also an ally of former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican 2024 presidential nominee, Orbán has said his refusal to supply military aid and support to Kyiv is a “pro-peace” position.

The Hungarian prime minister recently warned Putin about his chances of defeating Kyiv in its war against Ukraine.

Ever since Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, NATO has stood by the war-torn nation and denounced Moscow’s “brutal and unlawful war of aggression.”

During a radio interview last month, Orbán admitted that his ally may be in way over his head as the Russia-Ukraine war rages on. “If the Russians were strong enough to defeat the Ukrainians in one go, they would have been defeated, but that’s not what we’re seeing,” he said.

In his final message to voters before the election, Magyar, described by Reuters as a “media-savvy former government insider,” said he wants to end Orbán’s “fear-mongering propaganda,” and work for a country where “there’s no left, no right, there’s only Hungarians.”

Magyar added: “TISZA aims to ensure that Hungarian families can live in peace and security, and that our children can live without the fear of war. The future is up to you now.”