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In a dramatic political development, the radical left-wing Momentum Movement announced on Saturday that it will not participate in the 2026 Hungarian parliamentary elections. This decision, according to its leadership, aims to facilitate a broader opposition realignment and ultimately achieve “regime change,” Demokrata reported.
What lies behind the decision is most likely the new political reality: Momentum is being overshadowed by the presence of Péter Magyar, leader of the main opposition party TISZA. These past months, Momentum has consistently polled below the 5% threshold necessary to secure seats in parliament.
The announcement came following the party’s delegate assembly and was accompanied by a message on social media emphasizing Momentum’s founding vision:
Momentum was created to bring about regime change and to create an open, diverse country that rewards performance, talent, and hard work,”
the statement read.
As Hungary Today reported, even former Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsány is stepping aside, having recently announced his retirement from public life, and especially from politics. His Democratic Coalition (Demokratikus Koalíció-DK) has since elected his estranged partner and Party MEP, Klára Dobrev, as their new leader. Mr. Gyurcsány’s decision also reflects the recognition that TISZA has become the new focal point of anti-government sentiment.
Momentum’s path has been filled with controversy since its entry onto the political scene. The party truly entered the public consciousness when it successfully campaigned against Budapest’s bid to host the 2017 Olympic Games—an effort many saw as a blow to Hungary’s international prestige and economic opportunity. Additionally, Momentum has repeatedly been criticized for taking positions in the European Parliament that harmed Hungary’s sovereignty and strategic interests. Notably, the two former MEP’s from Momentum, Anna Donáth and Katalin Cseh, pulled out all the stops during their mandates in the European Parliament to prevent Hungary from receiving the funds it was entitled to. For instance, Donáth was a member of the LIBE Committee delegation to Budapest examining the rule of law in Hungary in September 2021, which contributed to a more negative picture of the rule of law in Hungary than her predecessor had presented. Cseh, on her part, even lobbied the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen to exclude the democratically elected Hungarian Government from the distribution of EU funds.
With this recent decision made by Momentum, it seems clear that the party is destined to disappear altogether from the Hungarian political landscape, with its only lasting legacy being the acts conducted against the country’s interests over the years.
Via Demokrata, Index; Featured photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor