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19th June, 2025
Tisza takes commanding lead over Fidesz in new poll
The Tisza Party, activated just over a year ago by Peter Magyar, now holds a significant lead over Fidesz, according to the latest Median poll.
In all, 51% of decided party voters favoured Tisza, and only 36% supported Fidesz.
The poll, based on a representative sample of 1,000 people surveyed during June 3-7, highlights strong generational and educational divides.
Tisza dominates among voters under 40, with 58% support, and also leads among those aged 40-49.
Fidesz retains an edge only among voters over 50, although support there has also declined.
Educational background plays a key role, as nearly half of university and high school graduates back Tisza, while Fidesz performs best among those with only primary school education.
Urban voters overwhelmingly support Tisza, but Fidesz maintains a narrow lead in small towns.
Public desire for change is growing, as 62% of respondents said they want a new government after the next election, up from 49% a year ago.
Magyar reacted to the results by thanking supporters and emphasising that Tisza “knows its task and feels its historical responsibility”. (telex.hu; hvg.hu; index.hu; nepszava.hu; 24.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Gulyas shrugs off poll results
Prime Minister’s Office leader Gergely Gulyas was dismissive of the latest poll results showing Fidesz falling behind the Tisza party, as he addressed a press conference on Wednesday.
Fidesz is not worried, he said, as it needs to win elections, not public opinion polls.
Gulyas preferred to highlight the government’s informal referendum on EU membership for Ukraine, and claimed that the outcome of the vote will determine Hungary’s position at next week’s EU summit.
He said more than two million people have participated so far, with only 10% of votes cast online, and all ballots certified by a notary.
He reiterated Hungary’s opposition to certain EU proposals, including phasing out energy subsidies and banning imports of Russian energy.
He added that Europe should secure energy from the cheapest sources, not based on political preference.
Gulyas announced that the government will extend the interest-rate freeze for another six months, affecting 286,000 loans.
The ban prevents a 15% rise in repayments, he said, acknowledging banks’ dissatisfaction but defending the decision as necessary.
He affirmed that caps on food price mark-ups will remain until inflationary pressures ease.
He added that the Ft 30,000 food vouchers intended for pensioners will be mailed out over a period of six weeks, starting in early September at the latest.
On another matter, Gulyas said legal action will be taken over a fake video which falsely claimed that Fidesz would try to postpone next year’s parliamentary elections.
He added that discussions between the government and the city are ongoing and questioned the mayor’s financial priorities.
Gulyas defended another controversial government video warning about the risks of Ukraine joining the EU, saying it reflects genuine concerns, not fear-mongering.
Other topics included infrastructure developments such as a new airport terminal and expressway as well as ongoing military modernisation.
Gulyas acknowledged ongoing problems with air-conditioning in hospitals, despite Ft 4 billion spent this year, but stressed that 96% of priority areas like ICUs are now covered, while full coverage will take time. (telex.hu; 24.hu; nepszava.hu; index.hu; 444.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Valasz fights back against Sovereignty Protection Office
News website Valasz Online has announced legal action against the Office for the Protection of Sovereignty, accusing it of violating the website’s rights, reputation and credibility with false and damaging claims.
The lawsuit centres on a statement published by the office following Valasz Online’s recent interview with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
According to Valasz, the office falsely alleged that the interview was orchestrated by unnamed international actors, and that interviewer Szabolcs Voros was part of a media network funded by the European Commission, designed to undermine the Hungarian state.
Valasz Online called the accusations baseless and defamatory.
The website also criticised the government for amplifying these claims, noting that Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky recently referred to the website as a “Hungarian mini-portal financed from abroad”.
Valasz Online firmly rejected these assertions, stating that it has never applied for or received foreign funding from the EU, the US, or any other country.
It emphasised its independent model, saying it operates solely on reader contributions and minimal advertising.
Donations come via the Polgarvilag Alapitvany, a foundation supporting the publication.
“We do not and will not investigate our readers’ citizenship”, the statement added.
In the Zelensky interview, the Ukrainian president criticised Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s approach as “anti-Ukrainian” and “anti-European,” accusing him of exploiting the war for political gain. (24.hu; 444.hu; hvg.hu; nepszava.hu; telex.hu; index.hu)
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19th June, 2025
No pensioner vouchers until autumn
The government’s promised Ft 30,000 food vouchers for pensioners will not be delivered until autumn, according to Robert Zsigo, parliamentary state secretary at the Ministry of Culture and Innovation.
Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, Zsigo said Magyar Posta would begin delivering the vouchers to around 2.5 million pensioners in the autumn, with no specific date announced.
Although initial reports suggested a July 29 rollout, this was later corrected.
The vouchers, valid until December 31, are non-transferable, can only be used for cold food, and cannot be exchanged for cash or counted as income.
Originally announced in May as a replacement for a previously promised VAT refund, the government framed the vouchers as a response to “unjustified price increases”.
However, the pensioners’ section of the Hungarian Trade Union Confederation criticised the move as “humiliating alms,” and called instead for a proper pension adjustment law. (hvg.hu; portfolio.hu; telex.hu; 444.hu; index.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Treasury returns Ft 10bn to Budapest after court ruling
The State Treasury has returned Ft 10.2 billion to the city of Budapest, mayor Gergely Kara-csony announced on Facebook.
The repayment follows a ruling by the Budapest Metropolitan Court, which found that the Treasury had unlawfully deducted the funds in May as part of a solidarity contribution. Interest on the amount is still pending.
The court also granted immediate legal protection to the municipality, preventing the Treasury from issuing further collection orders until autumn.
Karacsony had warned that without this protection, the city’s public services could have been jeopardised.
Despite the ruling, PMO leader Gergely Gulyas, said the government would appeal the decision.
While the government maintains that the city must contribute its fair share in difficult times, recent developments suggest a shift toward dialogue, Telex writes.
Negotiations have begun between city officials and government representatives, including Gulyas and state secretary Csaba Latorcai. (telex.hu; nepszava.hu)
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19th June, 2025
Budapest seeks mass transport CEOs
Budapest mayor Gergely Karacsony has relaunched the search for new CEOs of the Budapest Transport Centre (BKK) and the Budapest Public Transport Company (BKV).
The Budapest city council declared the previous recruitment process unsuccessful at the end of May and then asked Karacsony to re-advertise the positions with unchanged terms.
Katalin Walter, who has been leading the BKK since 2021, submitted her application in the first round, but was not even invited for a hearing by the selection committee and subsequently resigned.
The mayor dismissed Tibor Bolla, who had been in charge of the BKV since 2012, after 444 published pictures of Bolla partying in Bali with a man who led a criminal organization linked to the BKV.
Karacsony later said in an interview with HVG: “some people promised that there would be real city politics here instead of party politics, but in contrast, they are the ones who are pursuing pure party politics in the issue of company management applications.”
The deadline for submission of applications for both positions is August 24. (hvg.hu; index.hu)
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19th June, 2025
EC begins proceedings against Hungary retail taxes
The European Commission has issued a formal reasoned opinion to Hungary, criticising the country’s retail tax regime for unfairly disadvantaging foreign-owned retail chains.
According to the Commission, the tax structure imposes disproportionately high burdens on companies operating through consolidated entities – typically multinational retailers – while domestic franchise networks are largely exempt.
Hungary had previously committed to phasing out the special retail tax.
In parallel, the Commission has launched separate proceedings concerning Hungary’s price margin restrictions – one targeting food products, the other non-food items sold in drugstores.
The rules cap the allowable margin between purchase and retail prices so tightly that affected companies, many of them foreign, risk operating at a loss.
The Commission contends that these measures distort competition and breach EU rules on the freedom of establishment.
In the government’s interpretation, “Brussels attacked Hungary today because it considers the profits of multinational companies to be too low”, claiming that the EU aims to eliminate discounts, raise prices, and remove taxes on large foreign companies.
As with many other issues, the government arbitrarily linked Ukraine to the case, asserting that “Brussels only cares about Ukraine and the profits of multinational companies”. (portfolio.hu; forbes.hu; telex.hu)
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