Orban’s Rival Vows to End Hungary Crisis by Unlocking EU Funds

  • Magyar’s party leads Hungary opinion polls ahead of 2026 vote
  • Magyar would aim to stabilize forint, cut yields, adopt euro
Peter Magyar at a town hall meeting in Dunaujvaros.Photographer: Petar Santini/Bloomberg
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Hungary’s most popular politician Peter Magyar has a plan to end his country’s economic crisis: defeat Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the next election, bring home frozen European Union funds and steer the country toward euro adoption.

A former ruling-party insider, Magyar has catapulted his nascent Tisza party into a double-digit poll lead against Orban’s long-dominant Fidesz ahead of the 2026 elections. A spate of political scandals, a plunging currency and a cost of living crisis have chipped way at the support of the five-term prime minister.