On the occasion of the national holiday, last night the Hungarian opposition held an anti-government demonstration in Budapest, which, according to estimates, was attended by around 10,000 people.
The new leader of the opposition, Peter Magyar, a businessman and former member of Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s ruling party Fidesz, announced during the protests that he was preparing to form a new party to replace Fidesz after 14 years in power.
“Whatever faults the European Union may have, it is a club to which we are members,” Magyar said in a speech at the protest, emphasizing the importance of cooperation with Brussels.
“You can live without democracy, but it’s really not worth it,” he said, alluding to Orban’s autocratic governance methods. He added that Orban’s regime could be defeated in democratic elections “perhaps even faster than many think.”
Magyar is the ex-husband of former Justice Minister and Orban ally Judita Vargova. She resigned a month ago due to the scandal involving the presidential pardons of prisoners.
Magyar has a good insight into the functioning of Orban’s party and in recent weeks has called for a complete change and has publicly released sensitive information about the internal workings of the Hungarian government.
In contrast, Orban urged voters to rebel against Brussels and warned of Hungary’s withdrawal into a conflict with Russia.
