On the eve of the elections to the European Parliament in Hungary, the political party “Respect and Freedom” (Tisztelet es Szabadság), whose leader is 43-year-old Peter Magyar, is rapidly gaining popularity.
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Magyar was the former husband of Justice Minister Judit Varga, with whom he has three children. Political scientists called Varga one of Viktor Orban’s most stellar protégés. She was supposed to head the list of the ruling Fidesz party in the elections to the European Parliament.
But in February of this year, as a result of one of the largest political crises of Fidesz, associated with the pardon by the Hungarian President of an accused found guilty of helping a pedophile, Judit Varga, together with Katalin Nowak, resigned and renounced the mandate of a member of parliament and leader of the party list. . in the elections to the European Parliament.
Hours after his ex-wife announced her retirement from politics, Magyar posted on Facebook saying he was resigning from his positions at two state-owned enterprises and relinquishing his seat on the board of directors of the Hungarian Development Bank.
He wrote that the last few years had made him realize that the idea of a “national, sovereign, bourgeois Hungary” proclaimed by the Orbán government was in fact a “political product” that served to conceal massive corruption and redistribute wealth in favor of those who had “correct” connections.”
A lawyer with Magyar education, who practiced law, worked at the Foreign Ministry and the Hungarian mission to the EU, began a campaign of attacks on Orban. At the end of March, in the presence of journalists, he handed over to the prosecutor’s office an audio recording proving facts of corruption in the government, which significantly increased the politician’s popularity.
Madyar accuses the Orbán government of systemic corruption, calls for the resignation of the prime minister and the prosecutor general, and states that there is no freedom of the media and the prosecutor’s office in the country. A month and a half after joining the opposition, the politician managed to gather more than 200 thousand subscribers on his social networks.
And in early April, according to various estimates, from 50 to 100 thousand people came to an anti-government rally near the building of the national parliament, which was held by “Respect and Freedom”. Such mass numbers have not been observed since 2010.
Simple questions, easy answers from Hungarians �� from the anti-Orban protest
Do we want to be Europeans? YES
‚Do we want to get rid of the “elite”? YES
Do we want a new Hungary? YES pic.twitter.com/2GXJXfuPr8— SzabadonMagyarul �������� (@SzabadonMagyar) April 6, 2024
The Respect and Freedom party was registered in 2021. It was created by a small group of officials and entrepreneurs of the city of Eger to participate in parliamentary elections. In its program, the party positioned itself as center-right, stated the need to limit the tenure of senior government officials to two terms, abolish the immunity of deputies, support local businesses and facilitate the return of emigrants to the country.
In the parliamentary elections in April 2022, Respect and Freedom was unable, however, to receive a single mandate. It was Magyar who gave it a new lease of life when he took office as one of the deputy chairmen in April of this year.
Magyar needs the party to participate in the elections to the European Parliament. He did not have time to create his own party for this. According to the rules, candidates from political associations registered in their countries at the time of the official announcement of the elections can apply for seats in the European Parliament.
On April 10, an application for registration of the Respect and Freedom party to participate in the elections to the European Parliament was sent to the National Election Commission. In addition, the party will participate in municipal elections in Hungary on June 9.
As Bloomberg writes, citing the results of a survey by the sociological company Median, Magyar’s “Respect and Freedom” receives 24% support among voters who have made their choice and said they will definitely go to vote.
While this is a far cry from the 46% support that the ruling Fidesz party has, it is more than double the 9% support for the Democratic Party, which has been the most popular opposition force so far.
Currently, Magyar travels through the countryside, which is Orbán’s support base, where he manages to attract many voters to his campaign events.
The plans include politics and parliamentary elections in the country in 2026. Time will tell what he can do.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.