With less than two months remaining before Hungary’s pivotal parliamentary elections, opposition leader Peter Magyar has publicly accused the ruling Fidesz party of orchestrating a blackmail scheme involving a secretly recorded sex tape. Magyar, whose Tisza party currently leads Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz in opinion polls, announced he is filing formal complaints with authorities regarding what he describes as a politically motivated smear campaign.
The allegations center on a purported video from August 2024, which Magyar claims was recorded using secret service equipment and potentially manipulated. He acknowledges engaging in consensual sexual activity with a former girlfriend during that period but maintains any recording was made without consent and possibly altered for political purposes.
The controversy emerged following the online appearance of a bedroom photograph from the apartment where the alleged incident occurred. Magyar suggested the timing coincides strategically with the launch of his nationwide campaign next week and represents a deliberate attempt to disrupt his final week with his three children before the April election.
Fidesz officials have uniformly denied knowledge of the allegations. Party communications director Tamas Menczer accused Magyar of dishonesty, while Prime Minister Orban’s chief of staff Gergely Gulyas stated he could not comment on matters about which he had no information.
The former girlfriend involved has reportedly told Hungarian media that both she and Magyar are victims regarding the alleged illicit recording and expressed willingness to pursue joint legal action.
This political scandal unfolds against the backdrop of a significant shift in Hungary’s political landscape. The latest poll by Hungary’s Idea Institute shows Magyar’s center-right Tisza party leading Orban’s Fidesz by at least eight percentage points, potentially ending Orban’s 16-year tenure as Hungary’s nationalist leader.
The election campaign officially begins February 21, but these early allegations suggest an unusually contentious pre-election period. Orban’s campaign has primarily focused on criticizing the European Union, accusing Brussels of attempting to undermine his government, while Magyar has built substantial support by promising to reset Hungary’s relationships with European partners.