Satirical Party on State TV: Sympathizer Spoke Live with “Wife” by Phone Instead of Introducing Party

For the first time in four years, the Two Tailed Dog Party (MKKP) was allowed to speak on state-funded public television. In fact, due to the upcoming elections, state media is required by law to provide five minutes to all opposition parties as well, but other than on this occasion, government-critical sides don’t get too many chances to speak. The satirical party sent one of its sympathizers to the live broadcast, but his phone suddenly rang….

This article was originally published on our sister-site, Ungarn Heute. 

Imre Tóth, a former MKKP candidate, who now introduced himself as a sympathizer, first thanked the party with kind words for inviting him to the state media, saying:

“It is nice that we can also breathe the air of freedom here now,”

and then suggested that everyone should visit the MKKP’s website, because there are some things worth knowing there, and “everyone can spend more than five minutes” on the portal.

By saying that, he was referring to the five minute time slots that opposition parties get every four years in the state-funded media. Then came his “stand-up” performance when his phone surprisingly rang and Tóth proceeded to have a five-minute conversation with his partner. And in that conversation, several jabs were made against the government and state media’a practices.

• “You know!… I’m on M1, where we are coming regularly, every four years (…) you have to appreciate the little one too (…) there are a lot of people here, like Russians in Ukraine (…) they’re really cute, there are these camera people, it’s really cool ….. no, I’m not banned from here, that’s the Radio Cabaret….”
• In the conversation he also referred to the food price freeze introduced by the government: “What should you buy? I don’t know, something cheap, buy chicken back, it’s cheap, and oil! You know, the price freeze is for this…. No, not fuel oil, but cooking oil! Fill up the tank? Yes, you can fill up the car, but if you can’t get gas please don’t tell anyone, because it’s regulated by law, that would be scaremongering…..”
• Finally, he was asked on the phone if there were women in the studio. He said he would not flirt, and that “This is the M1 channel, not a brothel, honey.”

After hanging up the phone, he realizes he only has a few seconds of airtime left and asks the reporter if the party will still have the opportunity to speak on state TV in 2026, but gets no promise of that.

Four years ago, MKKP sent a party member dressed in a chicken costume to the interview. In the similarly timed conversation, the politician only answered questions in a clucking voice.

Last week, the opposition’s joint prime ministerial candidate, Péter Márki-Zay, was also allowed to speak for five minutes on state TV station M1, presenting the opposition’s electoral program. It was the first time ever that the Hódmezővásárhely mayor, who had also won last year’s opposition primaries, was allowed to enter the building of Hungarian state television.

featured image via Youtube