Orban's opponent Magyar called for early elections in Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's opponent, opposition leader Peter Magyar, who heads the Tisza party, called for early elections in his New Year's Eve speech. Bloomberg news agency reported on January 1.

"Let new elections be held to give the people back the right to decide their fate," the agency quoted him as saying.

Magyar is seeking elections earlier than scheduled for next year due to an alleged decline in the ruling party's popularity. According to the agency, the government, in turn, has said that elections will be held in 2026.

Earlier, on June 10, Orban said at a speech to his supporters in Budapest that his party had managed to defeat the "new opposition" in the European Parliament elections, he also promised to defeat it "again and again." According to him, these results show that Hungarians want peace. The ruling Fidesz party was in first place after a total of 90 percent of the votes were counted. The party of Orban's rival, Peter Magyar's Tisza, received 30% of the vote amid a 60% turnout.

Before that, in April, Budapest residents protested in the city center demanding Orban's resignation. According to The Guardian newspaper, the discontent is due to the fact that the Prime Minister considers Hungary his property. The protesters also spoke out against the oligarchic system. Alexander Konkov, an associate professor of the political science department at the Financial University under the Russian government, commenting on the protests, said that they are unlikely to have negative consequences for Orban's government.