Last night I went to see a tarot card reader and she told me the Tisza Party would lose the election.
I thought fortune tellers were only meant to tell you good news!!
Naturally, I sped straight home and asked ChatGPT “Can fortune tellers predict the outcome of Hungarian elections?” and it told me No. What a relief!
But it got me thinking, what would happen if the unthinkable happens, and Fidesz wins in 2026?
Firstly, the arrogance of Fidesz would know no bounds. Their shameless theft, aggression and feudalism would ramp up.
Viktor Orbán would rightly think, “I can do whatever I want, and the Hungarian people still elect me. Why bother restraining myself?”
Those in the Fidesz orbit — with their greedy snouts in the trough — would continue on.
Our ties to Russia would tighten – like a noose around our necks. I don’t want to get into it here, but to illustrate my point below is an image allegedly showing Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó’s 14-year-old son watching the August 20 fireworks from the Budapest office of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Our distancing from the European Union would surely increase as would the EU’s distancing from us…. Already many Europeans say Hungary should go ahead and Huxit if they hate the EU so much.
If they win the election, Orbán would have to decide whether to stay in the club or depart altogether…and while I don’t think Russia’s put so much effort into tending the relationship with Orbán for him to leave the European bloc, Orbán keeps poking the bear, so you never know.
Our economy would continue to stagnate as the withheld EU money would certainly not be disbursed, Trump’s tariffs would pinch, and Orbán’s lack of effective economic policy would provide no path out. Hungarians would become poorer. Foreign investment would further dry up — as real business people don’t like investing in corrupt countries where there isn’t a level playing field. And the government would have even less money for healthcare, education and infrastructure.
Fidesz’s support among the under 30s is low with various pollsters measuring their support somewhere from 8% to 30%. If Fidesz wins, young people would be even more despondent about a future in Hungary — and more and more would leave.
(The video below shows a phenomenon that took hold at festivals and concerts over summer with young people chanting “mocskos Fidesz” — “filthy Fidesz”)
Orbán, himself would cement his role as Dear Leader within Fidesz and slam the door in the face of anyone younger with leadership ambitions. The people around Orbán are already best categorised as Yes Men, and if he can pull a rabbit out of the hat and win this election, no one would dare question him..
Fidesz would feel even more emboldened to enact electoral reforms to further entrench its power and find ways to make life harder for the independent press, watchdogs, civil society and opposition parties. It would make beating Fidesz in 2030 that much harder. I wrote about all the ways the deck is stacked in Fidesz’s favour last week, and in four more years it would surely only get worse.
And, worst of all, the opposition would be completely deflated. If someone with the momentum and political skills of Péter Magyar can’t win, who can?
But there might be a silver lining...
Unless some truly bizarre turn of events, Tisza would be the biggest opposition party in the parliament. And while losing would certainly take some of the steam out of the movement in the short term, there would be some upsides to this outcome.
Firstly, it would be a good reminder of how tough beating Orbán will be. Right now Tisza supporters are riding high. We have momentum. We feel like an unstoppable freight train. A loss would remind us that this is a David and Goliath battle and that “vibes” don’t win elections — votes in regional Hungary do.
Tisza would gain valuable parliamentary experience, and Magyar could learn the ropes as a parliamentary politician.
Let’s not forget Fidesz spent 8 years in opposition (from 1990 to 1998) before being elected to govern in 1998. And Trump also bided his time after losing in 2020 before roaring back in 2024.
It could be good for Tisza to mature as a party in terms of candidates, policies, operations and electoral infrastructure before having another go in 2030.
The Tiszas Sziget volunteer clubs all through Hungary would have more time to build grassroots support. Independent press and whistleblowers would continue uncovering Fidesz’s bad behaviour — and with time this would filter through to more and more voters. As the economy and infrastructure continue to crumble, more Hungarians may begin looking for an alternative to Fidesz in four years.
And having Tisza breathing down Fidesz’s neck in the parliament might help rein in their worst instincts. In important ways, the next four years would not be like the past 16.
And, Little Hungarian Freedom Fighter.com would be here every step of the way.
Although Irene the fortune teller rattled me, maybe she was wrong. Ultimately, Hungary’s destiny is in its own hands. Let’s not find out what four more years of Fidesz looks like. Vote Tisza in 2026.
Other articles you might like...
All the ways the deck is stacked in Fidesz’s favour
Although Tisza has a groundswell of support, the deck is stacked in Fidesz’s favour. Here’s why Tisza supporters need to fight like hell
Panic at the disco! Fidesz is totally stumped
Baffled. Bewildered. Dazed and Confused. Disoriented. And Totally Stumped. Nothing Fidesz tries against Tisza is working.
9 signals that Orbán is in trouble
In 2024 and 2025, many signs indicate that Fidesz is in big trouble. Whether it comes true at the elections – time will tell – but for now here are some of the signals that don’t look good for Orban.