Hungary: Orban Rival Claims ‘Russia-Style’ Blackmail over Sex Tape as His Party Leads in Polls
Peter Magyar calls the alleged sex video a 'Russia-style' smear to blackmail him as he leads polls in a high-stakes election against Viktor Orban's ruling party.
- On Thursday, Peter Magyar, leader of the centre-right opposition Tisza party, said individuals linked to Viktor Orban's camp prepared a Russia-style smear and his party leads most polls ahead of April.
- A website posted a room image with a 'Coming soon' notice and the date August 3, 2024, while still images circulated in Hungarian media and Reuters could not verify the site's origins.
- Magyar released a Facebook video, said he committed no wrongdoing, acknowledged consensual sex in an apartment, and denied drug use, rejecting blackmail attempts.
- The government denied involvement and offered limited comment, with Gergely Gulyas saying 'I cannot comment on something that I know nothing about' on Thursday, and the site remains unpublished, Reuters reported.
- Magyar's rise positions him as a major challenger, having founded Tisza in 2024 and tapped into anger over the cost-of-living crisis and corruption; the episode drew notice as Marco Rubio will travel next week after President Donald Trump endorsed Orban last week.
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Hungary: Orban rival claims ‘Russia-style’ blackmail over sex tape as his party leads in polls
Tisza Party's Peter Magyar is leading comfortably in the polls, making his victory possible in the April vote. Magyar clarified that he and his ex-girlfriend had consensual sex in an apartment, adding that there may have been illegal drugs in the complex
Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar said that his ex-girlfriend lured him into a compromising situation and denied drug charges, Euronews reported. According to the politician, Viktor Orban's government uses intelligence methods to discredit him. Magyar's Tisa party is the main rival of Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz in the April elections in Hungary and is now leading the polls. Recently, the election campaign has escalated: activists and ca…
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The Straits TimesHungary opposition leader flags possible illicit video release ahead of election
Hungary opposition leader flags possible illicit video release ahead of election Hungary's opposition leader said on Thursday that individuals linked to the government were preparing to release an illicit video of him in an intimate situation with his former girlfriend in an attempt to discredit him ahead of elections due in April. Peter Magyar, leader of the centre-right opposition Tisza party which leads Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruli…
The Hungarian election campaign has long since begun. And it's not pretty.
Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar said he was secretly taped having sex with his former partner in 2024, preempting a potential release of a video that he called a “Russia-style” attempt to blackmail him before pivotal elections in April.
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