Hungarian opposition leader accuses Orbán of Watergate-style spying plot

Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar on Sunday accused Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s government of spying on him and his staff.

Speaking at a press conference in Budapest, Magyar said he was blowing the lid off what he called a “Hungarian Watergate,” referring to the wiretapping political scandal that led to United States President Richard Nixon’s resignation in 1974.

“Intelligence officers who serve their country and not a mafia government have confided in me that my apartment, our offices and our vehicles have been bugged for months,” said Magyar, who leads the opposition Tisza party.

He added that the government and ruling Fidesz party were plotting to discredit him with a mix of real tapes of private conversations and fake ones produced by artificial intelligence, and that his ex-girlfriend had been paid by Fidesz’ leadership to secretly record him.

“The government wants to silence us, but millions of people cannot be silenced,” Magyar said.

Orbán was aware of the plot, Magyar alleged, without providing evidence. The Hungarian leader has so far not responded to the allegations. Fidesz did not immediately respond to POLITICO’s request for comment.

“Someone watched too many spy movies out of boredom,” government spokesperson Eszter Vitályos said, referring to Magyar’s accusations.

Tisza outpolled Fidesz, which has been in power since 2010, in two recent surveys. Hungary’s next general election is in 2026.