Hungarian lawmakers on Tuesday approved a new law that abolishes limits on campaign spending.
Critics argue this measure will enable Prime Minister Viktor Orban to receive unlimited financial contributions from his supporters for the 2026 elections.
Since Orban’s return to power in 2010, his governing coalition has frequently adjusted Hungary’s electoral system, prompting accusations from opposition groups that it manipulates democratic rules for its advantage.
This move comes as recent polls indicate Orban’s nationalist Fidesz party is trailing the TISZA party, led by former government insider and now prominent opposition leader Peter Magyar, ahead of the spring 2026 elections.
The previous spending limit, introduced by Orban in 2013, was 5 million forints (approximately 12,380 euros) per candidate per campaign. The new amendment passed the 199-seat National Assembly with 133 votes in favour and 46 against.
The governing coalition defended the change, arguing that spending limits are outdated given the increasing prevalence of “digital and online” campaigning, where national regulations are difficult to enforce.
They also claimed that removing the caps would create a more level playing field, asserting that the opposition benefited from unaccounted “foreign influence” in the 2022 elections. However, several NGOs have criticised the amendment.
Anti-corruption group K-monitor warned before the vote that “oligarchs who have enriched themselves with public money will be able to contribute unlimited funds as private individuals to the ruling parties’ campaigns.”
Hungary currently ranks last among EU members in Transparency International’s corruption perception index.
