Hungary must reassert its national sovereignty in the face of growing foreign pressure and manipulation, declared Zoltán Szalai, editor-in-chief of Mandiner and director general of Mathias Corvinus Collegium (MCC), during a conference titled The Fight for National Sovereignty held in Budapest on Tuesday.
Szalai pointed to the Biden administration’s USAID programmes, which he said have funnelled billions of dollars annually into Central European countries, including Hungary, with the apparent aim of supporting institutions and media outlets hostile to conservative governments.
He cited that roughly 7.5 million dollars in funding has reached self-declared ‘independent’ media and NGOs in Hungary, with additional financial support coming from Brussels and other liberal Western sources. According to Szalai, such external financial influence amounts to political manipulation and undermines the legitimacy of a nation’s democratic decisions.
‘It violates a country’s sovereignty—and is therefore illegitimate—when foreign actors manipulate voters,’ Szalai stated, adding that the current Hungarian opposition continues to benefit from such funding. He emphasized that these same actors use ideological media to push narratives under the guise of neutrality, while dismissing government-aligned outlets as biased.
Szalai highlighted that even major outlets like Partizán rely heavily on foreign cash, noting that in 2023, 65.4 per cent of its income—nearly 600 million forints—came from abroad. ‘A government that cannot defend our sovereignty is not worthy of governing,’ he concluded, but expressed optimism at the growing support for patriotic movements across Europe.
‘It violates a country’s sovereignty—and is therefore illegitimate—when foreign actors manipulate voters’
Also speaking at the event, Zoltán Kiszelly of the Századvég Foundation warned that what was once suspected is now proven: in 2022, opposition parties received at least 9 million dollars from the US and 1 million dollars from Switzerland. He described this as part of a coordinated strategy to convert foreign money into political power by boosting NGOs and campaign-backed politicians who promote globalist agendas unpopular among the Hungarian public.
Kiszelly emphasized that sovereignty-based governments present the only real alternative to globalism, making them prime targets for coordinated foreign pressure.
Echoing this, Erik Tóth of the Center for Fundamental Rights explained that the Soros-funded Open Society Network has invested nearly 90 million dollars into 115 Hungarian organizations since 2016, shaping activist networks, media influencers, and NGOs across the country.
‘As Hungary approaches its next national election…Tóth warned of a growing wave of disinformation and destabilization efforts’
As Hungary approaches its next national election—now fewer than 300 days away—Tóth warned of a growing wave of disinformation and destabilization efforts. He noted a suspicious timeline of coordinated attacks on the government: from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s remarks on Prime Minister Orbán in May, to opposition figure Péter Magyar’s smear campaign, followed by Ukraine’s alleged capture of two Hungarian spies.
‘These are not coincidences—they’re coordinated,’ said Tóth, stressing that Hungary is now a battlefield in a broader ideological struggle. He insisted that a strong stance rejecting foreign interference is essential for preserving Hungary’s democratic integrity. ‘We will never reach consensus on this issue with the left-liberal opposition,’ he concluded.
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