Péter Magyar’s Plans for Hungarian Media and Leadership
Péter Magyar, the recent victor in Hungary’s parliamentary elections, has pledged to eliminate public media news services if his party ascends to power.
The leader of the Tisza party decisively defeated the incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, securing a supermajority in Budapest’s parliament as a result of the elections held last Sunday. It seems likely that he aims to strengthen his control in the immediate future.
Magyar, who previously belonged to Mr. Orbán’s Fidesz party, announced on Monday his intention to amend the constitution to establish term limits retroactively. This move would effectively block Mr. Orbán from seeking the position again.
On Tuesday, the prospective prime minister stated he would work towards dismantling news service programs within Hungary’s public media, which has faced persistent accusations of demonstrating bias towards Mr. Orbán and his party.
In an appearance on Kossuth Radio’s program Good morning, Hungary!, the host drew parallels between Hungarian public media under Magyar and North Korea’s state-run outlets, noting similarities to the propaganda tactics employed by Joseph Goebbels in Nazi Germany. This was reported by the Magyar Nezmet newspaper.
Magyar also spoke on M1, the flagship channel of Hungary’s public media service, announcing plans to shut down M1 News, which he criticized as a “factory of lies.” He expressed intentions to collaborate with other parties in the parliament to create a new, “independent, objective, and impartial” media environment.
This approach mirrors the tactics used by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk’s government, which launched an investigation into public broadcaster TVP that was accused of favoring the former conservative administration after its return to power in 2023.
Further consolidating his power, Magyar called for the resignation of Hungarian President Tamas Sulhok, an associate of the outgoing Prime Minister. Sulhok took office in 2024 after the former president, Katalin Novak, resigned due to a scandal involving a pardon related to child sexual abuse cover-up.
This controversy prompted Magyar to distance himself from the Fidesz party, leading him to join the now-prominent Tisza party after condemning Orbán’s rule—this shift occurred even amidst his ex-wife’s departure over the same issue.
Following Novak’s resignation, early indirect presidential elections took place on February 26, 2024, resulting in the election of Tamás Suryok, the incumbent President of the Constitutional Court, with a two-thirds majority.
As Magyar seeks to quickly establish his authority domestically, it remains uncertain how he will navigate international relations. His government must still engage with Brussels, particularly concerning the release of substantial EU aid that had been halted in response to Viktor Orbán’s conservative governance.
Hungarian citizens may soon face a choice between adhering to their commitment to limit asylum seekers in the nation or aligning with the EU’s stance on migration in order to access the frozen funds.
