Viktor Orbán’s fiercest rival Péter Magyar has accused Moscow of interfering in Hungarian politics with the help of disinformation, hackers, troll farms and smear campaigns, Politico reports.
The opposition leader, who is emerging as a serious opponent of the current Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán in the latest polls, announced in a post on the social network Facebook that after 34 years, Russia is again trying to directly influence Hungarian politics and influence the choice of voters.
The politician noted that the last Soviet soldier left Hungary in June 1991, but now the Russian operatives are back. He said that sometimes they work covertly, sometimes openly and Hungarians know their methods: disinformation, threats, hackers, virtual troll farms, smear campaigns and blackmail.
Magyar joined the discussion after
the Russian Security Service announced that the European Commission was preparing to change the regime in Budapest.
The Russian statement said that, according to information available to the service, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was seriously considering possible scenarios for a change of power in Budapest. Leyen sees the main candidate as the opposition leader Magyar, who is “loyal to the global elite.”
The Russian statements echo Orbán’s comments in October 2023, when he accused the EU of trying to install a puppet government in Budapest. At that time, Orbán called on Hungarians to fight Brussels as they once fought the Soviet army.
Magyar said that the Russian ambassador to Hungary, Yevgeny Stanislavov, should provide explanations about the purpose and purpose of the interference in the country’s internal affairs.
According to a poll conducted by Politico, Magyar’s center-right Respect and Freedom Party is currently eight percentage points more popular than Orbán’s right-wing Fidesz, thus seriously threatening Orbán’s position.
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