- April 15, 2026
- Latest Update: April 15, 2026 6:34 pm
- 1 minute read
BUDAPEST, April 15 (dpa) - Hungary's incoming leader Péter Magyar has announced his intention to suspend news programmes on state-run radio and television stations following his overwhelming victory over Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in Sunday's election.
"One of the first steps after forming a government will be to suspend the news programmes of these propaganda media," he said on Wednesday morning in an interview with state-run Kossuth Radio.
He subsequently made almost identical comments on the television channel M1. Both media outlets belong to the state broadcasting holding company MTVA.
In response to the M1 presenter’s remark that suspending the news programmes would violate the law, Magyar told her that "you have failed to meet the obligations of the media act."
"Accusing me here of breaking the law is like a shoplifter calling the police," he added.
Hungary's media law of 2010 defines the MTVA stations as public service broadcasters. As such, they are subject to the requirement of objective and balanced reporting, but they instead followed a heavily pro-Orbán line.
During the election campaign, the programmes spread blatant falsehoods about Magyar, such as a fabricated election manifesto for his party that allegedly included drastic tax increases.
At the same time, Magyar was given no opportunity to comment in the state media during the election campaign.
Magyar’s Tisza secured a clear victory in Sunday’s election. In the new parliament, it will hold a two-thirds majority capable of amending the constitution, enabling it to change Orbán’s media law.
Under the constitution, the first session of the new parliament must be convened by May 12.
