Less than two months before Hungary’s upcoming election, prominent opposition figure Peter Magyar has leveled accusations against his rivals. He claims they are planning to blackmail him using a secretly recorded sex tape, and has announced his intention to file a complaint with the authorities. Magyar, whose Tisza party is currently leading Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in opinion polls, stated his suspicion that a tape recorded in August 2024 was intended for release. During that period, he asserts he engaged in consensual sexual activity with a former girlfriend at a party.
These allegations stem from a photograph recently circulated online, depicting a bedroom in an apartment from that specific time. Key figures within Orbán’s Fidesz party have publicly stated they are unaware of Magyar’s claims. Efforts to solicit comment from Orbán’s spokesperson have been made by the BBC.
In a statement issued on Friday, Magyar explicitly accused Fidesz of attempting to blackmail him. He put forth three allegations of unlawful conduct. While no video has been publicly released, Magyar suggested that any recording from the specified date would have been “recorded with secret service equipment and possibly faked.”
Magyar’s statement notably did not mention the ex-girlfriend who was present at the time of the alleged incident. However, he revealed on Thursday that he had accused her of extortion 15 months prior—an accusation she has since denied. This former partner communicated to Hungarian media outlets that both individuals were victims in relation to the alleged illicit video and that she was prepared to pursue legal action alongside him.
Magyar further accused Fidesz leadership of strategically timing their campaign maneuvers to align with the commencement of his own nationwide campaign next week. He also contends they are aiming to disrupt the final week he had planned to spend with his three sons before the April election.
Tamas Menczer, Fidesz’s communications director, refuted Magyar’s assertions, accusing him of dishonesty. Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, informed reporters that he could not offer comments on matters of which he had no knowledge.
Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s nationalist leader, has held power for 16 years. However, with parliamentary elections scheduled for April 12th, Magyar’s center-right Tisza party holds an eight-point lead in the most recent opinion poll conducted by Hungary’s Idea Institute.
The Fidesz party’s campaign strategy has, to date, largely concentrated on criticizing the European Union. Orbán’s party has accused Brussels of attempting to undermine his government. Orbán is widely regarded as Vladimir Putin’s closest European ally and has called for the EU to cease financial aid to Ukraine.
Although the official election campaign is not slated to commence until February 21st, Peter Magyar’s allegations of underhanded tactics provide an early indication of the contentious nature of the coming weeks.
Over the past two years, Magyar has cultivated a support base throughout Hungary by advocating for a realignment of the country’s relationships with its European partners. He was once a loyal member of the Fidesz party and was previously married to Judit Varga, a former justice minister whose political career concluded amid a scandal in 2024. The couple divorced the preceding year.