Viktor Orbán is a die-hard football fan, and the game even has a place in his political philosophy. He built the stadium that will host the Champions League final, but on the night of the final, the place of honor will go to his successor, Peter Magyar. The story can also be seen as a parable for what is happening these days with Hungary and the system built by Orbán.
The events – and even the images – of recent days in Budapest are reminiscent of a Martin Scorsese film. A man from of a new generation, Péter Magyar, has overthrown the “old wolf” Viktor Orbán and promises to tear down the corrupt system he built, without, however, renouncing the right-wing ideology of his former boss.
Viktor Orbán has channelled significant funds to Hungarians in Romania and in turn they have voted massively for Fidesz, while UDMR has aligned itself with Budapest's policies. A victory for Péter Magyar in the elections could lead to cracks in the machinery built by Orbán in Transylvania.
Hungarian communism was tolerated because it offered people security and a few small freedoms. This gave rise to a mentality in which it is better to opt for what is familiar and tolerable than to risk something that could be worse. Channeling this instinct sits at the core of Viktor Orbán's election campaign.
Viktor Orbán’s policy of doing business with Russia and China, and turning Hungary into a beacon of “illiberal democracies”, alienated the country’s EU partners and that came with an economic cost. Orbán’s main rival Péter Magyar shares some of Orbán’s views, but he promises to make amends with Brussels.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán claims Ukraine is meddling in Hungary’s election campaign. The claim is not notable because it is proven, but because it can be deployed without proof and still do political work.
Viktor Orban's party is facing its biggest challenge since it took power in 2010, having been overtaken in the polls by Peter Magyar’s TISZA party. Magyar was an insider of Fidesz power circle and has known how to neutralize the kind of discourse that Orban's success has relied on in the past.