Péter Magyar: The Tisza Party is ready for regime change, and ready to govern

Shortly after Viktor Orbán’s annual press briefing ended, the Tisza Party held its own press conference on Monday. It was entitled: "The year 2025 and Tisza's plans for the campaign and governance". The speakers at Tisza’s event were party president Péter Magyar, Zoltán Tanács, head of Tisza's program development and government preparation, and András Kármán, Tisza's budget and tax policy expert.

Magyar described Orbán’s morning press conference as “the fairy tales of a fallen prime minister”, adding that Orbán did not talk about the actual problems Hungarians are facing, such as the bad state of roads and the problems of public health care.

The president of Tisza also criticised Viktor Orbán for his silence on Slovakia’s recent law on the implementation of the Beneš Decrees, and called it unprecedented. "Last year, Viktor Orbán supported a presidential candidate (in Romania – ed) who has trampled on the graves of Hungarians and called our candidate who grew up as a member of the Hungarian minority in Slovakia a Slovak, so this is not really that surprising," he said. Magyar promised that – if they win the elections – they would take action against Slovakia's measures at the international level.

The campaign

According to Magyar, they are aware that in this electoral system, Tisza must not only win, but must do so by a large margin. To this end, we will be on the streets a lot, and will be there to shake hands with those who have to worry about making ends meet at the end of each month, he said.

He said that in the coming days, they will be introducing more and more of their experts. In January, they will also present Tisza's "real government program", not the 600-page forgery published by pro-government Index. The public will soon get to know leading figures of the Tisza party in key areas. In January they will present their expert on foreign affairs and energy, followed by their education expert in February.

Péter Magyar promised shocking stories, ones that will showcase what the country has become in recent years, as well as how neglected the countryside is, how Fidesz's petty tyrants are keeping people in check in rural communities, "in other words, what the country has become in the last 16 years", he said.

What would a Tisza government be like?

The Tisza government will be one of peace, Magyar promised. According to him, the Tisza does not support the escalation of war or the reinstatement of mandatory military service, and anyone who claims otherwise is lying. He said that the Fidesz-KDNP coalition was in fact the only one that had ever advocated reinstating mandatory military service.

Tisza is also opposed to decisions that would promote illegal migration. They do not support the EU’s migration pact and will keep the border fence in place, Magyar promised. However, unlike the Orbán government, Tisza will not be releasing human traffickers.

Magyar also said that the Tisza Party is not in favour of Ukraine's fast-track accession to the EU, which, he said, Orbán also lied about at today's press conference.

He recalled that they started out with only a handful of people in the spring of 2024, but by October 2025, Tisza was ahead (in the polls) each month. Péter Magyar said that over the past several months, they had been getting ready and learning, and sometimes they made mistakes. Meanwhile, their focus has been on drawing attention to the fact that "the Hungarian state is not functioning." According to him, this is evident at every level, from the railways to healthcare.

"In 2026, we will have reached another milestone.

We will show how our country can become a functioning and humane state. The Tisza Party is ready for regime change, and ready to govern," Magyar said.

A strong Central Europe

Regarding their foreign policy, Magyar said that they consider it important for Central Europe to be strong and for Hungary to be a stable and reliable member of the alliance systems. "We can't allow ourselves to be pushed to the sidelines when important decisions are being made," he said. He said that they do not wish to see the Hungarian prime minister on the front pages of newspapers around the world for being "Europe's bad boy."

The Tisza president reiterated their promise to bring EU funds home. They consider it important to develop close Central European relations and to strengthen the V4.

Zoltán Tanács, head of Tisza's program development and government preparation, said that they plan to have more ministries under a Tisza government than there are now. According to him, areas which are especially important in the 21st century, which currently do not have their own ministries, such as artificial intelligence and digitalization would be given their own ministries. He also added that there would be no super-ministries in the Tisza government, but that healthcare, for example, would have its own ministry (healthcare is currently overseen by the interior ministry – ed).

ATV asked Péter Magyar about the shield of protection (PM Orbán discussed with US President Donald Trump) asking him whether, if he wins, he will ask Viktor Orbán to transfer the deal to his name, and whether he would take advantage of it.

According to Magyar, if billions of forints had not been stolen from the Hungarian budget every year, the country's financial situation would not be so bleak. He added that the Tisza intends to develop the Hungarian economy without a(n American) protective shield, by bringing EU funds home. In his opinion, a well-functioning country does not need a protective shield.

BBC's reporter asked Péter Magyar to list three good things about Viktor Orbán. Nick Thorpe asked Orbán the same question at his press conference, only in reverse: he asked the Prime Minister to list three good things about Tisza's president. Orbán could only think of one good thing.

Magyar, however, said that Orbán's government from 1998 to 2000 had made some good decisions, and the same is true of his refugee policy—at least until he released the people smugglers. Péter Magyar was unable to come up with a third thing. "Perhaps that he likes soccer, but I have some good news for the outgoing prime minister: beginning in April, he will be able to spend much more time with his grandchildren."

Three priorities in the first one hundred days

According to András Kármán, Tisza's budget and tax policy expert, they will have three priorities in the first 100 days in office: ensuring the unlocking of EU funds, implementing their tax and pension program, and reviewing the budget and putting it on a realistic footing.

When asked how the government's policy on Ukraine will change if they come to power, Magyar said that they hope that there will first be a ceasefire and peace in Ukraine, and then there will be a change of government and regime in Hungary. According to the Tisza Party president, based on the current negotiations, it cannot be ruled out that a ceasefire or peace agreement will be reached before April, when Hungary’s parliamentary elections are due to be held.