Hungarian political newcomer says he will work on unfreezeing EU funds

9/6/2024 6:19

        EU election results will show Hungarians that Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government can be replaced, political newcomer Peter Magyar told Reuters
        after a campaign rally attended by tens of thousands on the eve of the polls.
        
        Sunday's European Parliament election is the first such test for Magyar, an ex-government insider who turned against Orban's rule over what he said was corruption and state propaganda and burst onto Hungary's political scene just four months ago.
        
        Latest surveys put support for Orban's right-wing Fidesz at 44% to 48% of the vote, with Magyar's right-of-centre Tisza polling in a 23% to 29% range.
        
        Whether his party gets 20% or 30% of the vote, "everyone will believe that the government can be replaced, even those who have not believed it until now", Magyar said.
        
        Although his name is the first on the Tisza party list, he does not intend to take up a seat in the European Parliament if elected, preferring to remain in Hungary and lay the groundwork to defeat Orban in the next national election due in 2026.