Peter Magyar, a onetime member of  Hungary's Fidesz elite who publicly broke with the radical rightwing party over its paedophile pardon scandal,  will make his political debut at a rally scheduled for the March 15 national holiday, where he promises to set out how to replace the Orban regime.

The date is more than symbolic for Magyar to launch what could eventually be the start of a career in politics, as March 15 marks the outbreak of the anti-Habsburg revolution in 1848. Hungary’s 'independence day' symbolises the fight for freedom against oppression, similar to the anti-Communist uprising in October 1956. Since the regime change, commemorations have been overshadowed by political rallies and demonstrations.

Magyar,  the ex-husband of former Justice Minister Judit Varga, Magyar has made incendiary comments about the inner workings of the government, accusing Antal Rogan, the minister who leads the prime minister's office and oversees the country’s intelligence services, of running a centralised propaganda machine. on the same day as Hungarian President Katalin Novak announced her resignation following her decision to grant a pardon to a deputy director of a children's home who had covered up child sexual abuse perpetrated by his superior for years. Following the president's departure, Varga also withdrew from public life.

At 42 years old, Magyar is a lawyer, businessman, and former diplomat who has chosen to exit the career path offered by Fidesz, as he claims he has had enough of the regime and the way hat a few families have accumulated immense power and wealth, while the country has failed to catch up to Europe despite receiving the equivalent of the US-sponsored Marshall plan to Germany since joining the EU 20 years ago.

He previously served as a diplomat in Brussels and held leadership positions in state-owned entities such as the Student Loan Centre. Magyar was also a board member of MBH Bank, the bank of Lorinc Meszaros, Orban’s most powerful friend and Hungary’s richest man.

Magyar has made incendiary comments about the inner workings of the government, accusing Antal Rogan, the minister who leads the prime minister's office and oversees the country’s intelligence services, of running a centralised propaganda machine.

Over the years, Orban's inner circle has spectacularly enriched itself and faced suspicions of misappropriation of European funds, which has led to the EU freezing billions of euros.

While opposition parties have campaigned unsuccessfully over the years against rampant corruption, these accusations sound differently coming from someone who was part of the system, political analysts noted.

Magyar clocked up a record 2.3mn views in an interview with Hungary’s leading YouTube news channel, Partizan.hu (available with English subtitles), where he also spoke about pressures coming from higher levels of government to sign off on overpriced contracts. He also spoke about the government meddling in his private life when he was about to separate from Varga and how he was "convened for talks" with a minister. "They offered me a diplomatic job," he said.

Over the past weeks, Magyar has become active on social media, striking back against attacks from pro-government media and talking heads. The non-profit organisation Megafon, active on social media, has spent HUF100mn (€25mn) in ads in the first two weeks to ridicule Magyar, who defines himself as conservative.

On Wednesday, Magyar gave his first television interview with commercial broadcaster ATV where he promised to announce his plans in politics, leaving the possibility open for collaboration with smaller parties due to potential time constraints in registering a new party before the June 9 European Parliamentary Elections.

His primary objective is to mobilise a "third force" to dismantle the Orban regime, appealing to those disillusioned with both the political elite and to people with little or no political affiliations.

The latest polls show Fidesz lost more than 300,000 supporters after the clemency scandal, but opposition parties failed to increase their base, while the ratio of undecided voters is at an all-time high. Yet, the ruling party looks set for a convincing victory in the upcoming local government and EP elections.

According to an instant poll by Median, some 68% have heard about Magyar and 13% said they would vote for him. The data theoretically translates to an 8% support among decided voters, Median director said, adding that this would rank Magyar's political movement or party with that of the largest opposition party, the Democratic Coalition (DK).

Joke party Two-Tailed Dogs is also polled at 8%, while the liberal Momentum would have 5% of the vote if elections were held today. 

Pundits say Magyar has a good chance of appealing to the group of voters who were part of one of the biggest demonstrations since 1990 in Hungary organised by civilians. A day before the resignation of the president, YouTubers and influencers held a rally, drawing an estimated 150,000 people.

In the interview with ATV, Magyar also said he was still a "one-man show", which suggests that there is no major financier behind him.

In his latest Facebook post, Magyar asked Rogan and Gabor Kubatov, Fidesz party chairman, and head of the football club Ferencvaros, not to send thugs to the crowd during the commemorations. Kubatov is suspected of dispatching football hooligans in February 2016 to physically obstruct an opposition politician attempting to submit a referendum proposal on the Sunday shopping ban.

Magyar is set to hold his rally at the iconic Andrassy Boulevard on Friday.  Orban will return to the capital to hold his speech at the National Museum in central Budapest in the morning. Only those who register can see the prime minister in the museum's garden, local media write.