Hungary opposition vows to boost the economy, tackle cost-of-living crisis

16/2/2025 14:24

Peter Magyar, the opposition challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said on Saturday he would focus on tackling a cost-of-living crisis and reviving the country's flagging economy if he wins an election due in early 2026.



Magyar's centre-right Tisza Party swept into Hungarian politics last year, mounting the most serious challenge to Orban since he returned to power in 2010. Most opinion polls now put Tisza ahead of Fidesz.



Magyar said in a state-of-nation speech at Tisza's first congress as the political season heats up in Hungary, "One of the most important tasks of a Tisza government will be to address the staggering cost-of-living crisis caused by the Orban government and the increasingly severe demographic catastrophe."

"Every, I repeat, every decision will be taken with these challenges in mind," Magyar said as he listed detailed steps on how he would reshape economic, healthcare and education policy.



The next election is due in early 2026 and nationalist Orban's Fidesz party faces unprecedented challenges in the economy this year with a rebound in inflation, sagging household morale and even a plunge in the birth rate he so wants to boost.