Orbán's party is not most popular in Hungary for first time in 18 years

Hungarian opposition party Tisza is more popular than Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party, which has dominated for the last 18 years, as evidenced by the poll conducted by Publicus Institute think tank.

As reported by Népszav, the survey was conducted from 11 to 18  October. It revealed that the opposition Tisza party of Péter Magyar was ahead of Orbán's Fidesz in both the general population and among the citizens who had already cast their vote.

Tisza has 24% of the total population's support, whereas Fidesz has 23%. In the category of individuals who had cast their vote, the Magyar party is supported by 39% to Fidesz’s 37%.

Another poll published on Wednesday, ran in the first half of October by 21 Research Centre, found that Tisza has 42% support among voters who have made their decision, while Fidesz has 40%. In this poll, Fidesz continues to lead with 29% of the vote, three percentage points more than Tisza.

Two more recent polls showed Fidesz's lead over Tisza decreasing. In all polls, approximately 30% of voters remained uncertain.

"We are making history. We haven't seen anything like this in 18 years. Hungary sent a message: the regime of Viktor Orbán is over," said Péter Magyar in connection with the results of the polls.

On Wednesday 23 October, over 10,000 people attended a Tisza party demonstration in Budapest to commemorate the anniversary of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution against Soviet domination, which was suppressed by the Red Army. Magyar spoke at the rally and outlined plans to prepare his party and elect candidates for the 2026 elections.

He has committed to combat corruption, invest in health and education, and begin a "national dialogue" with voters on 5 November, just as Orbán’s administration prepares to conduct nationwide polls on its economic agenda.

On the anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution, Viktor Orbán delivered a harsh anti-European speech.