Threat Assessment of the 2026 Hungarian Parliamentary Elections

Since the previous parliamentary elections in 2022, Hungary has adopted numerous legal and institutional changes affecting the electoral framework. While some amendments have addressed administrative or technical issues, others have weakened checks and balances, reduced transparency, and further increased advantages for the governing party. Key developments include redrawing single-member constituencies without consultation, abolishing campaign spending limits, changing the National Election Commission’s membership, and adopting the Sovereignty Protection Act.

Hungary’s political context has become hyperpolarised, shaped by economic stagnation, social dissatisfaction, and the emergence of the TISZA Party as a major opposition force. Attempts to discredit TISZA have contributed to an increasingly tense pre-electoral environment.

Campaign practices have blurred and increasingly obliterated the boundaries between the state and the governing Fidesz party. Government-funded communications, including through ‘national consultations’ and publicly endorsed campaigning networks, are serving partisan objectives. Oversight remains limited, and unequal access to resources persists. In the field of campaign finance, the abolition of spending limits, increased public funding for parliamentary groups, and weak supervision of third-party actors have reinforced existing asymmetries.

Media concentration among government-aligned outlets, the dominance of state advertising, a strong bias in state media, and the absence of an independent media regulator continue to undermine pluralism. Online, the governing party and affiliated actors make extensive use of sponsored content, loosely regulated networks, and, increasingly, AI-generated material, including disinformation targeting the opposition. The transparency and financing of online campaigning remain very limited.

Several institutions central to electoral integrity exhibit enduring shortcomings. The composition and practices of the National Election Commission favour the governing party, while strict procedural rules hinder access to effective legal remedies. Other state bodies – including the State Audit Office, the media regulator, and the police – have acted in ways that raise concerns about their impartiality.

Participation gaps also remain unaddressed. The voting system for national minorities has not been reformed, ignoring a European Court of Human Rights ruling. Roma representation remains low, and discriminatory rhetoric persists. Women, LGBTQI people, and persons with disabilities continue to be underrepresented in public life, with both legal and societal barriers affecting their participation.

At the local level, clientelist structures, the use of municipal resources for campaigning, manipulation of address registration, and vote-buying continue to pose real risks. Previous elections have featured some Election Day violations; similar or even more serious issues are expected to occur in 2026, particularly if the contest is closely fought.

Overall, developments since 2022 underscore a further narrowing of political pluralism and persistent structural imbalances that adversely affect the fairness of the 2026 parliamentary elections.

Election Day – expected to be held on 12 April – has not yet been formally announced by the head of state, and the official 50-day-long campaign period will only begin in mid-February. Nevertheless, de facto campaigning has been ongoing for many months in a highly charged political atmosphere.

A potentially close electoral race combined with a high degree of polarisation among the electorate and low public confidence in the fairness of the electoral process calls for the EU and the OSCE to direct their urgent attention to unprecedentedly widespread breaches of election integrity in an EU member state.

➡️ Read the Threat Assessment here