Orbán Calls for "National Resistance" Against Magyar After Raid on Fidesz

The trigger for the appearance was a raid by Hungarian prosecutors on the offices of the Fidesz party. According to investigators, data storage devices were seized. The prosecutors' office said it was investigating embezzlement and other offenses in connection with the National Cultural Fund. No concrete charges have been publicly disclosed so far.

Background of the Raid

Orbán had already declared the day before the press conference that Hungary was no longer a democracy. Referring to a constitutional amendment, he said an "authoritarian regime" had established itself in Hungary. He pledged to restore the democratic rule of law in the country. He used the term "tyranny" verbatim.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar had announced after taking office that he would recover funds that, according to his party, had been embezzled during Orbán's tenure. According to sources in Budapest, the raid on Fidesz is directly linked to these announcements. Magyar did not initially respond publicly to Orbán's appearance.

Fidesz had dominated Hungary for 16 years with a two-thirds parliamentary majority. That majority enabled Orbán to make sweeping changes to the constitution and the institutional architecture. According to Magyar, numerous of these changes have harmed democracy. With its current majority, the new government can reverse parts of those reforms.

Balance of Power in Parliament

Orbán suffered a heavy defeat in the April parliamentary election. The press conference was his first political appearance since that vote. At the press conference, he hinted that he wished to continue leading Fidesz. He initially gave no concrete answers on the question of his succession or the strategic direction of the party.

Regarding the leadership of the Fidesz parliamentary group, Orbán reportedly expressed the wish that the group be led by a member of parliament who could run again in 2030. He thereby apparently ruled out taking over the long-term political leadership of the party himself. No official personnel decision was announced.

Reactions and Open Questions

In the polls, Péter Magyar's Tisza party stands at 60 percent support according to a current survey by the Median Institute, while Fidesz has slumped to just 18 percent. The gap between the two camps has widened since the election. For Fidesz, this means it must reposition itself programmatically and in terms of personnel.

Orbán accused the government of using legal means to intimidate political opponents. He compared the situation in Hungary to a change of regime and warned of a further curtailment of press freedom. At the press conference, he did not cite any concrete examples of specific infringements on press freedom.

The prosecutors' office rejected the accusation of political motivation. It pointed to ongoing investigations and stressed that the searches were carried out on the basis of independent judicial orders. No statement from President Tamás Sulyok was initially available.

International observers in Brussels and several European capitals are following the developments closely. Hungary is a member of the European Union, and the question of how the new government handles the institutions is seen as a litmus test for the rule of law in the EU. No concrete statements from the EU Commission had initially been issued.

Outlook for the Coming Weeks

According to sources in Budapest, reactions within Fidesz to Orbán's appearance have been mixed. Some party members support the hard-resistance course, while others are calling for a more pragmatic line and constructive opposition work in parliament. Whether an open intra-party debate will erupt remained unclear on Wednesday.

Orbán himself spoke of a "historic mission" for his party. He announced that he would organize events nationwide in the coming weeks. In terms of content, he placed the restoration of the old electoral law and the protection of freedom of expression at the center. He did not rule out bringing down the government or filing concrete motions of no confidence.

The events also cast a spotlight on the state of the rule of law in Hungary after 16 years of Fidesz rule. Critics accuse Orbán of having himself laid much of the groundwork for the current situation during his time in government. Supporters, by contrast, see the raids as a politically motivated attack on the opposition.

With his call for "national resistance," Orbán is significantly raising the temperature in political Budapest. If Fidesz does indeed mobilize in the coming weeks, the conflict between the government and the largest opposition party could intensify further. Magyar has so far opted for confrontation but is also likely to be keen not to let the situation escalate further.