The opposition leader, frontrunner in the polls before April’s elections, accuses Viktor Orbán’s party of orchestrating a discrediting campaign with covertly recorded explicit videos.
The head of Hungary’s opposition, Péter Magyar, has charged Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party with preparing a blackmail scheme involving a secretly filmed sex tape, raising tensions ahead of April’s parliamentary vote.
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Magyar, whose Tisza party outpolls Fidesz according to surveys, claims the ruling party intends to release intimate footage captured via surveillance tools.
«I believe they plan to release footage, recorded with intelligence service equipment and possibly doctored, showing my then-girlfriend and me engaged in intimate acts,» Magyar stated on social media.
He mentioned that journalists received a bedroom photo accompanied by the message «coming soon,» implying an imminent video release. The image has been widely shared on social platforms, sparking public discussion. The video itself remains unpublished online.
«I am a 45-year-old man, maintaining a normal sexual relationship with a consenting adult partner,» Magyar added.
This image is also present on a website named after Tisza Party’s vice president, Márk Radnai, who denied any connection to the domain, which shows the date «2024.08.03» above the photo.
Fidesz officials have rejected any involvement in circulating the photo. According to Hungarian law, sharing sexually explicit content without permission constitutes a criminal offense.
These claims come amid escalating tensions in the campaign, which has seen activists assaulted and candidates targeted with manipulated deepfake videos.
Hungary faces acrimonious election battle
Founded only two years ago, Tisza now leads Fidesz by 35% to 28% among voters, according to the 21st Research Institute. Orbán, in power since 2010 with an absolute majority, faces a political shift that could alter Hungary’s relations with the European Union and its position on the Ukraine conflict.
Both factions employ aggressive tactics during the campaign. Fidesz has circulated AI-crafted deepfake clips showing Magyar pledging loyalty to Brussels or backing Ukraine, positions unpopular with Orbán’s supporters. Government figures routinely portray Tisza as influenced by foreign interests.
Magyar accuses Orbán of corruption and funneling public funds to family and allies. He has published a secretly recorded 2024 conversation with his ex-wife, former Justice Minister Judit Varga, discussing government interference in the judiciary over sensitive matters.
Campaign events have seen opposition members physically and verbally attacked recently, while government officials’ town hall meetings faced disruptions by opposition protesters.
Magyar established Tisza following a government-linked child abuse scandal that led to the resignation of two senior officials.
Then-President Katalin Novák and Justice Minister Varga, Magyar’s ex-wife, resigned after Novák pardoned a man implicated in concealing abuse at a children’s care home.
This scandal damaged public trust in Orbán’s administration, providing an opening that Magyar capitalized on to rapidly develop his party. Tisza’s rise signifies the strongest electoral threat to Fidesz in years.
Elections are set for April 12, with the contest expected to intensify sharply in the weeks ahead.