Tisza Party's Lead Over Fidesz Narrows Ahead of April Elections

Current Political Landscape in Hungary

BUDAPEST, Jan 22 (Reuters) - Hungary's main opposition Tisza party's lead over Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz has narrowed slightly in January, a poll showed on Thursday, ahead of an April 12 election in which Orban faces a tough reelection bid.

Nationalist Orban, in power since 2010, is facing a strong challenger for the first time in the vote, with the outcome having major implications not only for Hungary but for Europe and its far-right political forces.

Most polls show Fidesz trailing behind Tisza despite voter-pleasing measures after three years of economic stagnation. Pro-government pollsters show a Fidesz lead. Two other polls last week showed Tisza party widening its lead over Fidesz.

Tisza Party's Performance

Tisza, a centre-right party led by former government insider Peter Magyar, has a 9-point lead over Fidesz, down from a 12-point lead in a December survey among decided voters, pollster Republikon said.

Fidesz's Response and Strategy

"The new year brought an even more intensive campaign, as Fidesz and the pro-government media threw their full weight behind the theme of war, which helped the governing parties to victory in 2022," Republikon said.

Impact of Smaller Parties

Orban has framed the 2026 election as a choice between war and peace, portraying Ukraine as undeserving of support and his government as the only safe choice.

Magyar's party, which was only launched in 2024, had the support of 47% of decided voters, down from 48% in December. 

Support for Fidesz grew to 38% from 36% a month ago among decided voters, according to the survey conducted between January 15 and 20. Among all voters, Tisza leads on 33%, to 28% for Fidesz.

Among smaller parties, the far-right Our Homeland (Mi Hazank) party and the Two-Tailed Dog Party have enough support to reach the 5% threshold for getting into parliament, Republikon said. Mi Hazank is supported by 6% of decided voters while 5% back the Two-Tailed Dog Party.

"Mi Hazank cannot yet be considered a certain entrant," Republikon said, adding that 27% of voters were undecided.

(Reporting by Anita Komuves; Editing by Aidan Lewis)