EditHungarian opposition leader Magyar marches to Romania to court ethnic Hungarians
The ethnic Hungarian vote contributed to Nicușor Dan’s victory in the recent presidential election
Péter Magyar, leader of Hungary’s centre-right Tisza party, crossed the border into Romania on foot on 24 May, concluding a week-long trek aimed at rallying ethnic Hungarians and appealing to conservative voters ahead of Hungary’s 2026 elections.
Carrying Hungary’s flag, Magyar, 44, was joined by supporters as he sought to challenge Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s long-standing dominance.
Magyar’s Tisza party, formed last year, has emerged as a formidable rival to Orbán’s nationalist Fidesz party, which has held power since 2010. Recent polls, including a Friday survey by the Publicus think tank, show Tisza leading with 43% support among decided Hungarian voters, compared to Fidesz’s 36%. With parliamentary elections expected in early 2026, no official date has been set.
“We are not going to Romania to escalate tensions or harm our Hungarian brothers and sisters. We are going to express solidarity,” Magyar said on Saturday, launching his journey in hiking gear. En route, he engaged rural voters – traditional Orbán supporters – in small Hungarian towns.
Orbán’s government has long supported ethnic Hungarian communities in Romania, home to about one million ethnic Hungarians (5.5% of Romania’s population). Since 2014, Hungarians abroad have had voting rights, with 94% backing Fidesz in the 2022 election. Magyar’s march, announced on 12 May, followed Orbán’s suggestion of potential cooperation with Romanian far-right presidential candidate George Simion ahead of Romania’s 18 May election.
Romania’s UDMR (RMDSZ), representing ethnic Hungarians, warned that Simion’s victory could threaten minority rights and urged support for centrist Nicușor Dan, who won the presidency. In Romania’s December 2024 parliamentary elections, UDMR secured 5.8% of the vote, according to Romanian media. This endorsement was pivotal, as it aligned with the UDMR’s broader goal of promoting stability and minority protections, ultimately contributing to Dan’s victory in the presidential race.
There are currently around one million ethnic Hungarians in Romania, which accounts for about 5.5% of the total population.
Sources: Reuters, Romanian media reports
Caption: Leader of the Hungarian opposition Tisza Party Peter Magyar waves a Hungarian flag before the results of the party’s public survey entitled ‘Voice of the Nation’ are announced in Budapest, Hungary, 13 April 2025. EPA-EFE/Zoltan Balogh
Updated: May 25, 2025 - 05:54
