Hungary’s Orban mobilizes “digital fighters” ahead of election

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is rallying online supporters in a “40-day digital challenge” ahead of the April 12 parliamentary vote, as his nationalist Fidesz party faces its toughest challenge in 16 years.

Orban is encouraging grassroots activists, nicknamed “digital fighters,” to spend at least 10 minutes daily posting and commenting on Facebook to counter rival Peter Magyar of the centre-right Tisza party, who leads in opinion polls, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.

Since the EU introduced Europe-wide political advertising restrictions, platforms like Meta and Google have halted paid political ads. Fidesz, previously the largest Google ad spender in Europe, is now relying on:

• Trained grassroots supporters posting strategically

• Right-wing influencers promoting party messages

• AI tools to create campaign videos and deepfakes

Political analysts say Hungary may serve as a test lab for adapting campaigns under the new EU rules.

Younger voters heavily favor Magyar, with 67% under 30 backing Tisza versus just 8% for Fidesz. Orban’s Facebook posts—despite having 1.5 million followers—have received 5.2 million reactions, compared to 9.6 million reactions for Magyar’s 179 posts.

At a rally in Debrecen, mostly older Fidesz supporters emphasized both online activism and traditional door-to-door campaigning, highlighting the party’s blended strategy.

News.Az 

By Aysel Mammadzada