Hungary’s centre-right Tisza party, has widened its lead over Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s nationalist Fidesz party ahead of the 2026 national election, according to the latest voter survey by pollster Median.
Tisza, Hungary’s main opposition party, represents the biggest political challenge Orbán’s 15-year rule has yet had to face. His government is currently dealing with stalled economic output and an inflation level among the EU’s highest. Adding to his administration’s economic woes is the looming threat of sharply increased U.S. tariffs on EU imports.
The Tiza party, led by Péter Magyar, a former government insider, launched just over a year ago, has the support of 51% of the voters surveyed compared to 36% of the respondents who said they would vote for Orbán’s Fidesz. Yesterday’s survey results, published by the Hungarian news weekly HVG, show Tisza to have registered strongly among younger people (58% support among under-40s) whereas a majority of those aged 50-plus were in favour of Fidesz.
Median pollsters said it was significant that a majority of those surveyed had said they expected Tisza to win next year’s election, noting how pre-election public opinion polls over the past two decades had accurately predicted Fidesz victories.
Tisza, has led Fidesz in most opinion polls for months. On Tuesday, Orbán, bidding to win back disaffected voters, included steep tax cuts for families in the 2026 election year budget approved by parliament.
The parliamentary election is set to take place early next year at a date yet to be set.
