Until recently the ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán – Peter Magyar, in mid-April, registered his party, with which he will appear in the European Parliament elections in June, and this will be a test of his ability to oppose the nationalist leader.
Magyar burst onto the Hungarian political scene in February after accusing the government of widespread corruption and running centralized propaganda.
At the end of March, he published a recording of a conversation with Judith Varga, his ex-wife and former justice minister of Hungary, in which she detailed the attempt by Orbán associates to intervene in a corruption case, Reuters recalls.
The revelation, which is being investigated by prosecutors, led to large-scale protests in Hungary and cast a shadow over Orbán's government, whose authority has already been shaken by the scandal of pardoning a convicted pedophilia convict, which led to the resignation of the country's president, Katalin Novak.
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Since reviving the Tisza party, the 43-year-old Magyar has drawn large crowds to rallies where he accuses the government of corruption and using a propaganda machine.
Party “Tisa“ (Tisztelet es Szabadsag - "Respect and Freedom") was inactive until Magyar revived and led it, but has now become the largest opposition party, polls show.
Magyar began his campaign with a national tour in April, planning to visit between six and eight cities a day, he told Reuters.
During one of his rallies, the politician told the gathered people that he wanted to "bring Hungary back" in Europe and restore democracy. He declared for reforms in the health and education system and reiterated that he is in favor of cooperation with the EU.
Magyar has previously said he will head his party's ticket for the European elections, as he is its most popular member, but will not become a member of the European Parliament and will remain in Hungary to oppose the government.
If his party wins seats in the European elections, its members will join the group of the European People's Party (EPP), he said in an interview with ATV television.
Magyar hinted that the success of “Tisa“ in the European Parliament elections may open the door to early elections in Hungary, although according to polls, Orbán's party - FIDES has a clear lead, and the next parliamentary elections will not be held until 2026.
"Maybe the Hungarian people will not have to wait until 2026,", Magyar said during an election rally in Budapest. "We will go to every district, to the smallest village ... we will build a new homeland brick by brick," he pointed out.
Speaking last week at a rally of his supporters in the bastion of the ruling party FIDES – city of Debrecen, Magyar took aim at one of the main themes in Orbán's politics, criticizing, in his words, the extremely low child benefits in Hungary.
"If you tell this to anyone in Europe, no one will believe you," Magyar said. Orbán claims that among the member states of the European Union, Hungary spends the largest share of its budget to support families, AFP points out.
"We need a completely new system in which social support is really based on public needs," added Magyar. In his words, Hungary is governed by a "relationship elite" - something he has promised to change if he is supported in the European elections.
Magyar worked in the foreign ministry and then in the prime minister's office in Brussels, before starting work at a state-owned bank and heading a student loan agency. He eventually became disillusioned with FIDES because of the corruption and state propaganda he says he witnessed while working for the government.
A recent survey by the polling agency "Mediana" showed that in the elections for the European Parliament “Tisa“ could win up to 25 percent of the vote, trailing FIDES, which could garner 45 percent support.
This is a sharp rise for “Tisa“ compared to previous polls that put her at about 14 percent. Polls show the party is largely attracting voters not so much at the expense of FIDES as of other opposition forces, as voters are disenchanted with older opposition parties, AFP notes. At the same time, support for Orbán's party remains almost unchanged.
Magyar's rise has been accompanied by attacks from the government-funded media, which accuse him of domestic violence and obtaining well-paid government jobs with the help of his ex-wife and former justice minister, Judith Varga. Hungarian authorities are also investigating media reports that he accepted funding from abroad. Magyar himself rejects all the accusations.