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RFE/RL's Hungarian Service

RFE/RL’s Hungarian Service -- closed after the Cold War ended -- was relaunched on September 8, 2020, in response to the country’s steep decline in media freedom. It's an entirely digital service dedicated to serving the public interest by representing a diversity of views and providing reliable, unbiased reporting about the issues audiences care about most.

Also by RFE/RL's Hungarian Service

August 02, 2024
EU Voices Concern, Asks Hungary For Clarifications On Plan To Ease Entry For Russians, Belarusians

EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson has voiced concern about Hungary's recent decision to make it easier for Russian and Belarusian citizens to enter the country and asked Budapest for clarifications.
July 24, 2024
Orban Allies Show Trump Solidarity With Ear 'Bandages' At Closely Watched Gathering

The chairman of the Hungarian parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee and the organizer of an annual political boot camp for Hungary's ruling Fidesz party in neighboring Romania made a show of solidarity with former U.S. President Donald Trump at the opening of the five-day event on July 24.
July 19, 2024
Hungary's Orban Says Von Der Leyen 'Our Employee, Not Our Opponent'

Viktor Orban said on July 19 that Ursula von der Leyen -- who was reelected on July 18 for a second term as European Commission president and has been a constant critic of the Hungarian prime minister -- is just an "employee," not an adversary.
July 12, 2024
Orban-Backed Challenger Admits Defeat In Budapest Mayoral Race

Budapest's Fidesz-backed mayoral challenger conceded defeat on July 12 after Hungary's National Election Commission announced a recount had confirmed a razor-thin victory for opposition incumbent Gergely Karacsony.
July 05, 2024
European Officials Say Orban 'Exploiting EU Presidency' By Visiting Putin For Ukraine Talks

European leaders on July 5 slammed Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban for his visit to Russia to meet with President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of shaking hands "with a bloody dictator" and of "exploiting the EU presidency position to sow confusion."
July 04, 2024
Hungary's Orban To Meet With Putin In Moscow Following Trip To Kyiv, Angering EU Officials

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban will travel to Moscow on July 5 to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, days after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Kyiv, a Hungarian government source told RFE/RL.
June 30, 2024
Orban, Allies Announce Right-Wing 'Patriots For Europe' Alliance

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on June 30 announced alongside allies from Austria and the Czech Republic the imminent launch of a new political alliance that he vowed would "quickly" dominate the European political right.
June 10, 2024
Explainer: Magyar Emerges As Challenger To Orban In European Elections In Hungary

After Hungary's elections to the European Parliament on June 9, centrist politician Peter Magyar has emerged as a strong opposition leader. Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz party took the most votes, but Magyar's Tisza party won a third of Hungary’s 21 seats in the European Parliament.
June 10, 2024
Orban Challenger Says Strong Election Showing Marks Breakthrough For Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has claimed victory for his long-ruling Fidesz party after European and local elections on June 9, but a former loyalist mounting a more EU-friendly challenge said his new party's success marked the start of a political breakthrough.
June 09, 2024
Hungarians Await Official Results Amid Signs Of Weakness For Orban, Fidesz

Vote counting is under way as polls have closed in Hungary's European Parliament and municipal elections, seen as a test of the strength of authoritarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his right-wing populist Fidesz party's nearly-15-year grip on power.
June 09, 2024
Can EU Elections Make 'Peace'? Hungarian Voters Divided Over Government Campaign

Hungarians elect members of the European Parliament on June 9, simultaneously with local elections. RFE/RL asked voters in Budapest about the ruling Fidesz party's campaign suggesting that its political rivals would draw Hungary into war.
May 31, 2024
'State Of Shock': Kyrgyz Migrants In Hungary Left Jobless And Desperate

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has been a vocal critic of migrants coming to the European Union, but his government's own official figures show there are 120,000 migrant workers in Hungary. An RFE/RL investigation has uncovered how vulnerable some of these workers can be.
May 09, 2024
Orban Meets With Xi, Calls China 'One Of The Pillars Of New World Order'

China and Hungary will expand cooperation in several areas, including in the nuclear power industry, Hungarian Prime Minister Vitkor Orban announced in Budapest on May 9 after talks with visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping.
May 05, 2024
Magyar, Nagy Tell Supporters Change Impossible To Stop In Hungary

Peter Magyar, a rising challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s right-wing government, told supporters in Debrecen that changes are coming to the country that current leaders will be helpless to prevent
April 29, 2024
Hungarian Highway Contract Worth $45 Billion Won By Equity Funds Close To Gov't

The total value of a 35-year contract to maintain, operate, and build most of Hungary's highways won by seven private equity funds whose owners have close ties to the Hungarian government is at least $45 billion, according to documents obtained by RFE/RL.
April 09, 2024
The Former Insider Out To Rid Hungary Of Corruption And Orban

For critics of Viktor Orban, Peter Magyar may well personify the corruption rife under the years of rule by the nationalist Hungarian prime minister. Now the former insider has recast himself and vowed to bring down Orban, drawing huge crowds to protests in Budapest.
April 07, 2024
'Nail In The Coffin': Disappointed Hungarians March Against Government

Tens of thousands joined a rally organized by Peter Magyar, a former insider of Hungary's ruling Fidesz party, in Budapest on April 6. He wants to run in European Parliament elections with a result that will be "the first nail in the coffin" of the Fidesz party's dominance, he told the protesters.
April 06, 2024
Hungarian Opposition Rallies At Another Mass Demonstration In Budapest

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Budapest on April 6 for the third mass demonstration in less than a month called by Peter Magyar, a rising challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing nationalist government.
April 01, 2024
Hungarian Beekeepers Stung By Honey Imports From Ukraine, China

Beekeepers in Hungary say their "survival is at stake" because of plunging domestic honey prices. Some say the recent government decision to lift the ban on Ukrainian honey imports will hurt local producers. But others point to a bigger issue: cheap, "fake" honey flooding the market from China.
March 27, 2024
Hungarians Rally As Whistle-Blower Exposes Alleged Corruption In Orban's Government

Hungarians are keeping up public pressure on the ruling Fidesz party fueled by an audio recording a longtime insider claims is evidence of rampant corruption among senior prosecutors and members of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government.

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