The Slovak daily newspaper Denník N asked Péter Techet about the possibility and the reasons for an anti-Ukrainian alliance between Prague, Bratislava, and Budapest.
The article can be read here: https://dennikn.sk/4939485/orban-chce-s-ficom-a-babisom-vytvorit-blok-proti-ukrajine-nebude-to-fungovat-hovori-dzurinda-aj-duleba
The most recent book by former German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer (Die Kriege der Gegenwart und der Beginn einer neuen Weltordnung) was published in March 2025. The publisher of the Hungarian weekly magazine HVG had the book translated into Hungarian (A jelen háborúi. Egy új világrend születése), which was released in October 2025. Péter Techet wrote the foreword to the Hungarian edition.
As part of her fellowship, Malwina Talik participated in the second four-day residential session of the Democratic Institute Leadership Academy (DILA) at Central European University in Budapest. In addition to reflections on leadership, the programme focused on theoretical and practical strategies for building democratic resilience, as well as on challenges and responses within the communication sphere in Central Europe, particularly in Hungary, Slovakia, Czechia, Croatia, and Poland.
DILA is a 12-week fellowship consisting of a training programme for mid-career local and national leaders, civil society activists, political party representatives, and policy experts. It addresses the pressing challenges facing European democracies and aims to redefine the future of leadership in Central and Eastern Europe. Guided by a distinguished international faculty of scholars and seasoned practitioners, the curriculum combines exploration of democratic governance with practical training, equipping fellows with a broad set of strategic and leadership skills.
Viktor Orbán and Péter Magyar, two of Hungary’s greatest political opponents, led marches on one of the country’s most symbolic days. Our colleague Malwina Talik attended both events in Budapest, where Peter Techet explained what role the 23rd October plays in Hungary’s collective memory and what each rival conveyed in their speeches. Watch the latest IDM Short Insights to find out!
Transcript:
1. What was happening in Budapest on 23 October 2025?
“Today, on the 23 October, Budapest is witnessing two large rival demonstrations. The first demonstration is led by the Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Fidesz Party, and the second one by his largest challenger, Péter Magyar from Tisza.”
2. What does 23 October stands for in Hungarian collective memory?
“On 23 October, Hungary marks the anniversary of the 1956 anti-Soviet revolution, when students and workers rose up against the Stalinist regime. Since the 1990 regime change, its memory has served political purposes — and this year is no different. The opposition invokes the slogan “Russians, go home” to criticize Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s pro-Russian stance, while his party claims that, just like Moscow once did, today Brussels and the “globalists” threaten Hungary’s freedom.”
3. “March for Peace” of Viktor Orbán
“I have just left the first demonstration which was organized by Fidesz and Viktor Orbán. It has undoubtedly gathered a lot of people, however I could have seen most of those from older generations. As every fourth Hungarian is still hesitant about who they will vote for in the April elections, those both rallies are competing for the attention of the undecided as well as for the mobilization of their electoral bases.”
4. How was Orbán’s speech?
““Whoever is Hungarian goes with us,” read the large slogan behind Viktor Orbán as he delivered his speech. The message is clear — and hardly new in Orbán’s rhetoric: only those who vote for him truly belong to the Hungarian nation. As he said more than twenty years ago, after losing the 2002 elections: “The homeland cannot be in the opposition.” This year’s speech came from a politician who, for the first time since 2010, may fear a return to opposition.”
5. Rally of Péter Magyar
“The second rally organized by Péter Magyar and Tisza is just about to start. Magyar himself was for a very long time a member of the Fidesz party but left it in February 2024. Orbán and Fidesz line media labeled this march as a pro-war march and accused Magyar of being Brussels puppet or an Ukrainian agent.”
6. What did Magyar emphasize in his speech ?
“In his speech, Peter Magyar called for overcoming the divisions within society and for Hungarians to reclaim their freedom together. According to independent estimates, more people joined Magyar’s demonstration than Prime Minister Orbán’s. However, the decisive moment will come next April, when the country heads to the polls.”
On October 23, two demonstrations took place in Budapest: both the ruling party and the largest opposition party called their supporters to the streets. The Austrian daily newspaper Salzburger Nachrichten spoke with Péter Techet about Péter Magyar’s chances of winning the elections and about Viktor Orbán’s willingness to accept a possible defeat. It is also possible, Techet said, that the elections may ultimately be decided in the streets if the respective losers refuse to accept the result.
The article can be read here: https://www.sn.at/politik/weltpolitik/magyar-koenig-orbans-ende-186446413
On October 23, two demonstrations took place in Budapest: both the governing party and the largest opposition party called their supporters to the streets. The news portal of ARD Tagesschau interviewed Péter Techet about the significance of these two demonstrations.
The article can be read here: https://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/europa/ungarn-proteste-132.html
Péter Techet gave an interview to the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) in which he discussed what illiberalism means in general – and specifically in Hungary –, why there is no single, homogeneous people and therefore no genuine popular sovereignty, and why legal scholarship should describe politics and law, but must not seek to control them.
The interview can be read here: https://www.oeaw.ac.at/news/ungarns-illiberale-demokratie-wenn-die-verfassung-zum-machtinstrument-wird
In the October issue of the Swiss monthly journal Religion & Gesellschaft in Ost und West, Péter Techet examines how the Hungarian government is using legislative initiatives and increasingly radical rhetoric to intimidate the independent public sphere, especially in light of the strong polling numbers of the largest opposition party, Tisza.
The article can be read here.
In the Hungarian-language program of Slovak Radio STVR, Péter Techet spoke about the reasons for and the consequences of the refugee policy that Angela Merkel implemented 10 years ago – also in contrast to the policy of Viktor Orbán.
The interview can be listened to here: https://patria24.stvr.sk/2025/09/30/naiv-volt-e-merkel-tizeves-a-menekultvalsag/
For the Austrian daily Salzburger Nachrichten, Péter Techet explained why Orbán’s family policy is essentially a neoliberal tax policy serving the interests of the upper middle class; the financial support for mothers and children does not really benefit the poorer families.
The article can be read here: https://www.sn.at/politik/weltpolitik/orban-wahlzuckerl-muetter-184898038
