Tens of thousands gathered in Budapest for a rally against Prime Minister Viktor Orban, waving the national flag, as the leader of the growing opposition Tisza party, Peter Magyar, vowed to make Hungary part of a strong Europe and end Orban's 15-year rule, Reuters reported, quoted by BTA.
Magyar, a former close aide to the prime minister, launched his movement a year ago. His Tisza party, named after Hungary's second-largest river, is leading the Fidesz party in the polls. Orban in most opinion polls, a year before the 2026 election, at a time when the economy is struggling.
Earlier, Orban, who has repeatedly clashed with the EU over policies that critics say are undermining democracy in Hungary, has vowed to crack down on politicians and journalists who receive foreign funding and has again ruled out Ukraine's EU membership, stepping up his campaign for the election.
More than 50,000 of his opponents braved the cold and freezing weather to rally in Budapest, chanting "dirty Fidesz" and "Tisza is coming".
"Those who deceive their own people must end up in the dustbin of history," Magyar told the crowd. "Our time has come."
He said "Tisa" would launch a popular survey on 12 key economic and political issues to hear the "voice of the nation".
During a rally marking Hungary's national holiday, Orbán said it was time to eliminate the "shadow army" of NGOs, journalists, judges and politicians paid by the United States and Brussels. He recalled his plans to crack down on NGOs and media that receive funding from the United States Agency for International Development and billionaire George Soros.
"After today's festivities comes the great Easter cleaning, because the bugs survived the winter," Orbán said. "We will eliminate the entire shadow army."
U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to dismantle the Agency for International Development has emboldened his ally Orban. Last month, he said Hungary would draft legislation to protect national sovereignty and reveal foreign funding of Hungarian media and what he calls quasi-non-governmental organizations.
This week, his Fidesz party introduced constitutional changes that would allow the expulsion of dual nationals deemed to pose a threat to Hungary's sovereignty, Reuters recalls.