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 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 ( ) 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 Magy.
