Protest in Budapest
Thousands of Hungarians demonstrated against Orban
Calls Viktor Orban the “head of the mafia state”: Peter Magyar. photo
© Denes Erdos/AP/dpa
At a mass protest in the Hungarian capital, demonstrators are demanding consequences over allegations of corruption in the Hungarian government.
Thousands of people were in on Tuesday evening Budapest demonstrated against the government of right-wing populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The reason was allegations of bribery and corruption against members of the government.
Peter Magyar, former husband of Orban’s former Justice Minister Judit Varga, called for this. He described Orban as the “head of the mafia state.” Magyar had previously published a secretly recorded private conversation with his then wife. This is intended to prove that Orban’s government tried to cover up the involvement of Antal Rogan, minister and head of Orban’s cabinet office, in a corruption case.
The public prosecutor’s office has been investigating the corruption case since 2021. A state secretary in the Ministry of Justice, which was then led by Varga, is said to have accepted large amounts of bribes. Varga was considered Orban’s close political companion. She was Minister of Justice until June 2023. She resigned to lead her party Fidesz’s list in the European elections. She resigned from that position earlier this year in the wake of a pedophilia scandal.
Varga accused her ex-husband of provoking the compromising statements.