Hungary’s Right Regroups In Street Protest After Orbán Election Defeat

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief reporting from Budapest, Hungary

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (Worthy News) – A crowd gathered outside Hungary’s parliament over the weekend for a right-wing anti-government rally, underscoring efforts by conservatives to regroup after longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orbán lost power to Péter Magyar amid public outrage over reported widespread corruption and mounting economic challenges.

Hundreds attended the protest, called “Don’t Be Afraid! 2.0,” at Budapest’s Kossuth Square on Saturday evening, where speakers urged Hungary’s political right to unite, examine its failures and reorganize following Orbán’s historic election defeat.

The demonstration was organized by KözTér, a conservative-leaning Hungarian media platform and civic forum that says it is independent of party politics and seeks dialogue across political divides. Several speakers, however, had ties to Orbán’s Fidesz party or other conservative organizations.

Zsolt Renge, a Budapest assembly member for Fidesz, expressed concern about what he called “recent, worrying developments impacting the rule of law.” He accused Magyar’s government of inciting hatred, introducing retroactive legislation and restricting electoral rights.

László Szabó, Fidesz’s leader in Budapest’s 11th district, acknowledged uncertainty among conservatives following the April 12 election. “Resolving the problem should start with reflection, but reflection is pointless unless we talk to each other,” he told demonstrators.

RIGHT SEEKS NEW DIRECTION

“We need honest right-wingers who can credibly represent the community,” Szabó added, reflecting broader questions about how Hungary’s conservative movement will position itself after losing national power.

Gergely Huth, editor-in-chief of the conservative PestiSrácok news portal, delivered one of the demonstration’s strongest attacks on the new administration, accusing Magyar and senior government officials of intimidating and persecuting political opponents.

He also protested against possible asset seizures targeting people associated with previous governments, changes involving the Constitutional Court and what he described as a shift in Hungary’s position on the European Union’s migration policies.

His remarks came as authorities widen investigations into the handling of large amounts of public money during the Orbán era, including transactions involving state-owned Eximbank and the former leadership of the National Bank of Hungary.

Police are investigating Eximbank cases on suspicion of abuse of office and mismanagement, including a roughly $1.2 billion loan to North Macedonia. Investigators have seized thousands of pages of documents as part of the inquiry.

ORBÁN-ERA FINANCES PROBED

Another case involves a 126 billion-forint, or roughly $400 million, financing guarantee for an African infrastructure project involving Eximbank and the state-owned Hungarian Development Bank.

Separately, questions have intensified over hundreds of billions of forints in public assets linked to foundations established by the National Bank under its previous leadership.

The central bank this week filed another criminal complaint over suspected mismanagement, fraud and abuse of office involving five properties, adding to scrutiny over what happened to public assets during the previous administration.

Orbán, a political ally of U.S. President Donald J. Trump, has denied allegations of corruption involving his former administration.

Saturday’s demonstration was not the first conservative street protest since Orbán’s defeat. Several thousand people gathered outside the presidential Sándor Palace in Budapest this summer to protest efforts by the Magyar government to remove President Tamás Sulyok, Worthy News observed.

PRESIDENT FORCED OUT

Sulyok, who was elected president in 2024 by the then Fidesz-controlled parliament, resisted Magyar’s demands that he resign. Magyar accused him of failing to act independently during the Orbán era, while Sulyok and Fidesz argued that forcing him from office threatened constitutional democracy and the rule of law.

Parliament ultimately approved a constitutional amendment ending Sulyok’s mandate. The president signed the measure in July, effectively ending his own term, while strongly condemning the way he was removed. He was succeeded in August by András Baka, a former president of Hungary’s Supreme Court and former judge at the European Court of Human Rights.

Other speakers at Saturday’s protest struck a more conciliatory tone. Fruzsina Skrabski, head of the Three Princes, Three Princesses Foundation, called for stronger civic organizations and said Hungarians should move beyond political hatred.

Referring to the April election, she said most Hungarians had voted for peace because they were tired of hostility. “We must ignore political hatred and restore confidence in society, which now lacks it,” she added.

Béla Teleki, head of the Hungarian branch of international conservative advocacy group CitizenGO, urged conservatives to build a civic movement that mainstream politics “cannot sweep away,” calling for “faith and cooperation” and greater dialogue with young people, intellectuals, the middle class and communities in both cities and rural areas.

CONSERVATIVES SEEK UNITY

Saturday’s rally and the larger protest over Sulyok’s removal offered a glimpse of Hungary’s political right searching for a new role following Orbán’s defeat after 16 consecutive years in power.

The latest protest came as Magyar’s government faces several other challenges, including soaring global energy prices. Magyar said Saturday that his government was working on targeted assistance for motorists without returning to an Orbán-era protected fuel-price system that could create shortages or cost taxpayers tens of billions of forints each month.

He stressed he had discussed domestic and international economic policy with Economy and Energy Minister István Kapitány, a former Shell executive, to establish a stable energy sector which has been heavily dependent on Russian natural gas and oil supplies.

Additionally, the government says it is seeking to reshape environmental and industrial policies while dealing with an extreme drought threatening agriculture, drinking-water supplies and energy infrastructure. Magyar said he wants those who helped keep Hungary’s only nuclear power plant operating despite exceptionally low water levels to receive state awards next month during commemorations marking the 70th anniversary of Hungary’s 1956 Revolution against Soviet domination.

Hungary’s political transition has also been reflected in its cultural life. Hungarian-born British pianist András Schiff, a prominent critic of Orbán, performed in Budapest this week for the first time in 16 years after refusing to give concerts in his native country during Orbán’s rule.

SYMBOLIC CULTURAL RETURN

Schiff’s sold-out return to Budapest’s Liszt Academy, attended by Magyar and other government officials, marked a symbolic cultural moment in Hungary’s post-Orbán era.

He also received an honorary doctorate from the academy during his visit.

The pianist donated proceeds from his two Budapest concerts to help establish the Aladár Rácz Roma College of the Arts, which is due to begin operating in September 2027.

The institution aims to support young Roma students by helping cover accommodation and travel costs and providing opportunities to participate in master classes.

Schiff’s return offered another sign of Hungary’s changing political and cultural landscape as the country adjusts to life after 16 years of uninterrupted Orbán rule.

Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.

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