Even among Fidesz voters, more than half expect the new government to hold the previous one accountable, survey finds

The overwhelming majority of Hungarian society believes that after the change of government, there should be a calling to account. Even more than half of Fidesz voters agree with this. Despite the failed attempts following previous changes of government to do the same, three-quarters of Hungarian voters now expect a genuine calling to account, though nearly a quarter remain skeptical about the matter, according to a telephone survey by the 21 Research Center (21 Kutatóközpont), commissioned by Telex and conducted between May 9 and 13 on a sample of 1,000 people.

Corruption and accountability were among key themes of the election campaign, even though Péter Magyar repeatedly expressed his dislike for the term itself, given that similar promises made by the Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) and Fidesz in the past had come to nothing. During the campaign, Magyar pledged to introduce the “Path to Prison” program if they were to win, and in his first speech as prime minister, spoke of facing up to the past and seeking justice. Bálint Ruff, who will be heading the Prime Minister’s Office, promised the most extensive vetting in history during his confirmation hearing but thus far, very little information has been made public about the actual implementation of this. The oft-promised Office for the Recovery and Protection of National Assets could play an important role in uncovering corruption, and a review of several areas has already been ordered at the first cabinet meeting as a first step towards accountability.

According to the recent survey conducted by 21 Kutatóközpont, the overwhelming majority of Hungarian society-84 percent-would like to see a reckoning, while only 13 percent believe there is no need for it. Unsurprisingly, 97 percent of Tisza Party voters are in favour of this, while Fidesz voters are divided on the issue, but even among them, 52 percent said they would like to see it happen.

According to the authors of the survey, people have differing views on how accountability should be enforced and who should be held accountable. For many Fidesz voters, the word likely brings to mind the "luxury lifestyle"of some individuals in the orbit of the previous government, which János Lázár heavily criticized during the campaign. Since the election, several other Fidesz politicians have also spoken out about the need to purge their own ranks of those who have harmed their community.

Despite the overwhelming public desire in this regard, the new government will not have an easy road ahead if it truly intends to get to the bottom of the corruption cases of recent years; moreover, it is not clear how the success of this accountability process could be measured. Nevertheless, three-quarters of respondents (75 percent) believe that genuine accountability is likely to be achieved in the coming years, while 23 percent are skeptical about it. There were hardly any who did not know how to answer or did not want to answer the question.

The majority of Fidesz supporters (53 percent) do not believe that meaningful accountability will happen, but 15 percent of them consider it very likely that this will come to pass in the coming years. Supporters of Tisza are very optimistic about the issue: 39 percent believe it is very likely to happen, and another 53 percent believe it is somewhat likely that the Hungarian public can expect meaningful accountability, while only 7 percent are skeptical.

Another survey conducted by the same research center, also in May, found that since the parliamentary elections, which saw the Tisza Party secure a two-thirds majority, its support has continued to grow.

According to the data, the Tisza Party now stands at 60 percent among the overall population, while Fidesz stands at only 20 percent. Among decided voters, the difference is even bigger, with 71 to 21 in favour of the Tisza Party.