Orbán rallies his supporters for comeback
In the Romanian spa town of Băile Tuşnad, former Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has called on his supporters to 'resist' his successor Péter Magyar’s government. Around 7,000 people listened to his keynote speech at the annual summer camp in Transylvania, during which he reassured his supporters that he would return to the political stage. This was Orbán’s first major public appearance since his electoral defeat in April.
Back on the campaign trail
This is Orbán’s attempt to pave the way for his comeback, analyst Alexandru Grumaz speculates in Adevărul:
“This is not a new strategy in politics. We often see it following major electoral defeats, when party leaders try to portray their loss of power as a passing episode and avoid any debate about their own mistakes. ... And that is also the message of his first major speech in 2026: Viktor Orbán is not speaking as a former prime minister who has withdrawn from public life. He is speaking as a leader who sees his defeat merely as a blip and has already begun the election campaign aimed at returning him to power.”
A man of the past
Magyar Hang sees no future for Fidesz:
“Viktor Orbán and his party will remain a fixture in the Hungarian political landscape for some time to come. ... However, the 'therapeutic' speech [at the Tusványos Summer Camp], which showed no sign of innovation, a realistic assessment of the situation or willingness to engage in confrontation, confirmed the birth of the 'new old' opposition. From now on, the fascinating and far-reaching question is no longer what will become of Orbán's Fidesz, but who will be the real challenger to Péter Magyar and the Tisza government, and where will he come from?”