What Finally Broke Orbán’s Grip (w/ David Pressman)

Peter Majar's breakthrough strategy was to campaign directly on the issue of kleptocracy and corruption, framing Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party as a 'criminal organization.' This message resonated deeply with conservative Hungarians in rural areas, who experienced the tangible effects of corruption through crumbling public services like hospitals and schools. Unlike previous opposition efforts that focused on policy or European identity, Majar directly linked the elite's illicit enrichment to the decline in ordinary citizens' quality of life.

Ambassador Pressman states, 'Majar was not engaging in a policy debate... His framing was Victor Orban and Fedz are a criminal organization and we need to dismantle this criminal organization.' He connected this to 'the reason your hospitals and your schools are crumbling is because these guys are stealing from you.'

Majar's leadership was marked by a distinct fearlessness and a brash communication style that allowed him to cut through Orbán's pervasive state-controlled media. He leveraged online platforms and rallies, and even turned government attacks into opportunities. For example, when mocked for wearing 'women's sunglasses,' he embraced it, broadcasted more images, and auctioned them for charity, demonstrating resilience and a sense of humor.

Pressman describes Majar's response to being mocked for 'women's sunglasses': 'He started broadcasting and projecting as many images of as he could of him in these sunglasses, smiling, having fun... Then he auctioned the sunglasses off... raised all this money to deliver to women's charities and through it all appeared to be having a good time.'

A critical element of Majar's success was his complete rejection of the existing opposition parties and their infrastructure, which he saw as ineffective. He built an entirely new, independent movement from the ground up. Simultaneously, he mirrored Fidesz's community-building tactics by relentlessly engaging with rural communities that had been written off by the previous opposition, establishing direct connections with citizens who felt ignored.

Pressman notes Majar 'completely rejected them and all of their infrastructure' and that 'if you had ever been associated with a previous opposition party... you could have no involvement in Peter Majar’s Kisa.' He also highlights Majar 'replicated that with a similar relentlessness of engagement with communities that had been written off by the previous opposition.'

The ambassador draws a parallel between Hungary and the US, arguing that both societies need to shift their perspective from viewing corrupt acts as isolated incidents or 'aberrations' to recognizing them as integral parts of a 'new system of government.' Majar's campaign succeeded by challenging an entire kleptocratic platform, not just individual abuses, suggesting a similar systemic approach is needed elsewhere.

Pressman states, 'we continue to see sort of what's happening as instances of corruption. And at a certain point, we need to transition that perspective that it's not these are not aberrations from the system of government. This is the new system of government.'