Hungary opposition leader flags possible illicit video release ahead of election

Hungary's opposition leader said on Thursday that ​individuals linked to the government were preparing ​to release an illicit video ‌of him ​in an intimate situation with his former girlfriend in an attempt to discredit him ahead of elections due in April. Peter ‌Magyar, leader of the centre-right opposition Tisza party which leads Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz in most polls, said in a video on his Facebook page he believed he was targeted by ‌Orban's camp with a Russian-style smear campaign.

Orban's government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs did not respond to ‌emailed Reuters questions on Thursday. Magyar, 44, a divorced father of three, released the video statement after media reports drew attention to a website that hinted at an impending revelation about an illicit incident.

The site carried ⁠a camera ​shot of a ⁠room and a double bed, and later posted "Coming soon" and the date August 3, 2024, which Magyar said was ⁠the date of a party where he had consensual sex with his former girlfriend. He had divorced ​the year before. No further content had been posted on the website as of Thursday evening ⁠and Reuters could not verify who set it up or where any video or other information may be ⁠released.

Orban's ​chief of staff Gergely Gulyas, asked about the website on Thursday, told reporters: "I cannot comment on something that I know nothing about." Magyar said in the Facebook video he ⁠had committed no wrongdoing.

"It became clear to me that I had walked into a classic Russian-style kompromat ⁠but as I ⁠have not done anything illegal, my conscience is clear," he said. "I will not allow Viktor Orban and his people to divert attention from ‌reality for ‌weeks with a hoax."