Hungarian opposition leader Peter Magyar called for a regime change in his speech on October 23 marking the 68th anniversary of the 1956 anti-Soviet uprising. Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Viktor Orban, speaking to a few thousand supporters, cast Brussels as a foreign oppressor and accused the EU of wanting to install a puppet government in Hungary in a speech riddled with contradictions and falsehoods.

As in earlier years, the commemorations of the start of the 1956 revolution proved an occasion for Hungarian politicians to deliver politically charged speeches, leveraging the historic event to promote their agenda.

The speeches held by Viktor Orban and his challenger will set the tone for what promises to be one of the most heated and dirty election contests in Hungary’s history.

In the lead-up to the national holiday, media attention centred on the anticipated turnout at the two rallies. Pro-government outlets highlighted declining support for the Tisza Party, pointing out that the number of demonstrators at the state media earlier in the month had fallen short of expectations and paled in comparison to the large rallies seen before the June 9 election.

Peter Magyar won the number game on October 23, drawing significantly more supporters than Hungary’s veteran leader, the longest-serving prime minister in the country’s history.

Magyar kicked off the day with a poll that would surely please his growing number of supporters.

“For the first time in 18 years, Fidesz is not the most popular party in Hungary,” he wrote on Facebook referring to a poll by independent pollster 21st Century Institute, giving Tisza a 2pp lead over the ruling nationalist party among decided voters, at 42%.

He added that Hungary has sent a message: the regime of Viktor Orbán is over.

In a speech marked by defiance, the 43-year-old political newcomer took a swipe at the government, accusing it of creating an economic and moral crisis, which made Hungary the poorest and most corrupt country in the EU.

He went on to outline his party’s goals for the 2026 election, including raising family allowances, supporting the elderly, using EU funds for economic development and reforming key areas like education and healthcare.

Magyar promised to restore the rule of law, end corruption and rejoin the European Public Prosecutor's Office. He sent a stark message to those in power, stating that "justice will be served and stolen wealth reclaimed."

He announced the start of a candidate search for the 106 electoral districts and broader leadership roles, as well as the launch of "Tisza National Consultation" set to launch on November 5.

Tisza Party made history by initiating an open selection process for candidates for the European Parliament and the Budapest Assembly ahead of the June elections.

The country does not belong to private equity funds or billionaires, but to the people, Magyar said, and promised to form an alliance with Hungarians if he is elected in 2026.

He urged the crowd to rise from their seats and take action and join Tisza’s working groups.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban delivered a speech under the banner "Honour to the Heroes," commemorating the 1956 Hungarian Revolution. However, the speech largely veered away from celebrating the heroes of the revolution, focusing instead on presenting Brussels and the European Union as a new enemy, paralleling it with Soviet oppression.

The words used most often by Orban in his speech were "war", "Brussels", "peace" and "puppet government," which appeared 16,11-11 and 7 times respectively.

Hungary’s nationalist leader in power for 14 years with a supermajority accused the EU of supporting a puppet government, drawing implicit comparisons to Peter Magyar though he never mentioned his challenger by name.

"We shall not allow Hungary to be turned into a vassal of Brussels. We shall not allow Hungary to be turned into a puppet state, a vassal of Brussels," he said. 

Orban said Hungarians knew that "they have picked the puppet government and party they want to install, and they have their man for the job, the ideal candidate to head a puppet government".

The prime minister equated the EU's influence with Soviet imperialism, claiming Hungary is engaged in a freedom fight against Brussels, much like it was against the USSR.

Touching on the conflict in Ukraine, he said the world was closer to a world war than ever in the past 70 years, Orban "Brussels bureaucrats had led the West into a hopeless war", he asserted.