"So far, when the left has come to power in Hungary, it has always ended with an austerity package," the centre quoted the minister in a statement.

Gulyas said the Tisza Party's "austerity plans burdening people" were not only about financing the war in Ukraine and Ukraine's accession to the EU by 2029.

The fact that the Hungarian government is currently imposing significant burdens on multinational companies and banks with global influence, which "Brussels does not like", also played a role, he said.

Gulyas said he believes that Tisza would eliminate these taxes and "make the Hungarian people pay for the subsequent budget deficit".

In the special edition of the "Free Hungarians podcast", the minister said "there is only one left-wing elite, and the Tisza Party does not even try to deviate from it."

Regarding polls and the coming four months, Gulyas said that "if everyone performs their tasks in the same way as in 2022 and the period before, then a confident civic victory is still realistic". People realise what would happen if a Tisza-DK coalition led the country, he added.

Magyar: Tisza Party ready to govern

The Tisza Party is ready to govern, Peter Magyar, the leader of the opposition party, said in Kecskemet, in central Hungary, on Saturday, adding that Tisza's platform and team were ready, and "everyone will be needed" in the 128 days remaining until the election.

Speaking at a campaign stop on his nationwide tour, Magyar said Prime Minister Viktor Orban was right to say that "Hungarian history isn't being written in Brussels, but it's not being written in Moscow or Washington, either, but here on the Hungarian streets".

"In 128 days, we'll take our country back step by step, brick by brick, and build a functioning, humane, European and free Hungary," he said.

Magyar said Hungary had become the "poorest and most corrupt country in the European Union". "Orban's plan worked: a dysfunctional, impoverished country and endless theft of money," he insisted. But the "plan", he said, had not taken into account that "around 2024-2025-2026, Hungarians will join forces and say 'enough is enough' … and stand up for their country".

He said Tisza was ready to govern, and had a political community with 50,000 volunteers and grassroots Tisza Island members. They also had a platform for a "functioning and humane Hungary" as well as their candidates, he said.

Magyar announced that next week Tisza's MP candidates will hold a two-day retreat in Balatonfured. The meetings will focus on the "most important first steps of the future Tisza government", he said.

Detailing Tisza's platform, Magyar highlighted the plan to cut the personal income tax for 2.2 million people, reduce the VAT on healthy food products and firewood to 5 percent from 27 percent, make prescription drugs VAT-free and introduce an asset tax for assets valued over one billion forints.

He also promised that Tisza would raise pensions and double family support payments. Also, 700,000 families would get 100,000 forint school-start grants from August 2026, he added.

Magyar said a Tisza government would spend 500 billion forints more each year on public health care, and that under Tisza, Hungary would join the European Public Prosecutor's Office. Also, a so-called national asset recovery and protection office would be set up, he said.

Tisza would also secure access to 8 trillion forints in European Union funds with which it would "kick-start the Hungarian economy, develop public health care, education, roads, save [state-owned railway company] MAV, and support SMEs and Hungarian farmers", he added.

Nezopont poll: Orban widens lead

Viktor Orban has widened his lead over Peter Magyar in November in terms of who the public sees as being more qualified to be prime minister. Only 32 percent of Hungarians would trust the leadership of the country to opposition Tisza Party leader Magyar while 47 percent would choose Prime Minister Orban, the Nezopont Institute told MTI on Saturday.

Nezopont conducted a representative nationwide survey both before the Oct 23 celebrations and at the end of November on who voters think is the most qualified to be the prime minister of Hungary.

In October, 45 percent of adult Hungarians said Orban was most qualified to head the government and 34 percent of respondents said it was Magyar. Some 13 percent of respondents had no pick, Laszlo Toroczkai, the leader of the Our Homeland Movement, was picked by 5 percent of respondents and opposition Democratic Coalition (DK) leader Klara Dobrev by 3 percent.

Nezopont said Orban's advantage grew by the end of November, as his visit to the US, his welfare measures and his active media presence may have helped him where nearly one in two Hungarians now considers him the most qualified prime minister, while only less than a third of Hungarians consider Magyar to be the most suitable.

"Peter Magyar's policy, built solely on hatred of Orban, is clearly not enough to strengthen his sense of ability to govern," Nezopont added.

In November, Toroczkai was picked by 5 percent of respondents, while Dobrev’s share edged up to 4 percent.

Nezopont noted that the results of the prime minister survey are not identical to the previously published most likely list party preference data (Fidesz 47 percent, Tisza 40 percent, Our Homeland Movement 7 percent), because they do not reflect the opinion of the entire population, but of active voters.

 

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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