Orban wants to use AI propaganda to secure his power after all

No time? blue News summarizes for you

• Around a week before the elections in Hungary on April 12, Prime Minister Orban is trailing in the polls.
• Orban is not shying away from lies and propaganda in his election campaign to turn the tide.
• The fight against the EU and the rift with Ukraine appear to be Orban's last election campaign hopes.

Summary created with

Videos generated with artificial intelligence (AI) and targeted misinformation: In the Hungarian parliamentary election campaign, long-term head of government Viktor Orban and his Fidesz party are relying entirely on anti-Ukrainian propaganda. Critics see this as an attempt to distract attention from the social and economic problems in the country, which, according to polls, make Orban's challenger Peter Magyar the favorite for the election on April 12.

"They are dangerous!" is emblazoned across a poster showing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and opposition leader Magyar side by side. And next to it is the call: "Let's stop them! Only Fidesz!" Other posters show Orban looking determined in front of the Hungarian flag with the slogan "Let's fight the war together!"

"The election campaign rhetoric deliberately paints a black-and-white picture - peace versus war," says historian Csilla Fedinec from the Center for Social Sciences at the University of Elte. "Ukraine is portrayed as a danger, the incumbent government as a guarantor of stability and rationality."

New escalation before the election

Tensions between the neighboring countries have intensified since Russian oil supplies through the Druzhba pipeline to Hungary, which runs through Ukrainian territory, were halted. According to Kiev, the pipeline was damaged in Russian attacks at the end of January. Budapest accuses its neighbor of deliberately delaying the necessary repair work. In order to build up pressure, the Orban government is blocking a 90 billion euro EU aid loan for Ukraine that has already been agreed.

They were not friends and will never be again: the Hungarian Orban and the Ukrainian Selenskyj.

Archivbild: Peter Klaunzer/KEYSTONE/dpa

At the beginning of March, the Hungarian anti-terror police arrested several Ukrainian bank employees who were accompanying a transport of cash and gold bars. In reporting on the incident, tabloid newspapers close to the ruling Fidesz party disseminated AI-generated images that significantly exaggerated the amount of money seized. In turn, an unusually large number of users responded to these images on Facebook with non-Hungarian usernames without profile pictures or user information - typical signs of fake automated profiles.

Experts also report Russian efforts to spread anti-Ukrainian sentiment in Hungary with fake news or deepfake videos packaged as newspaper articles. "We are observing an ongoing disinformation campaign to influence the elections in Hungary, as was the case with the elections in Moldova and Romania," says Ferenc Fresz, former head of the Hungarian Cyber Defense Agency. The messages spread by Russian groups are "largely identical to the pro-government propaganda in Hungary, so they reinforce each other."

Orban denies Russian influence

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto rejects the accusation of Russian election interference as "fake news". At the same time, Prime Minister Orban is trying to portray his rival Peter Magyar from the opposition party Tisza as a puppet of Ukraine and the European Union. "We have to decide who will lead the next government - me or (Ukrainian President) Zelensky," he shouted at an election rally in Budapest two weeks ago.

At an opposition event held a few hours later, someone unfurled a Ukrainian flag and government representatives and pro-Orban media spread photos of it at lightning speed. In less than 24 hours, however, it was possible to identify the people holding the flag - they were members of the Fidesz youth organization.

Orban against Brussels

The number of election billboards financed by taxpayers' money has multiplied in Hungary in recent months. They include, for example, a computer-generated image of Selenskyj throwing money into a golden toilet together with opposition leader Magyar and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.

For and against Orban

Huge demonstrations herald election campaign finale in Hungary

According to political scientist Eszter Kovats from the University of Vienna, Orban and Fidesz can build their anti-Ukraine election campaign on the widespread fear among the population that Hungary could be dragged into the war in Ukraine. "Fidesz is appealing to people's basic need for security," Kovats explains. "The message is: 'If everything collapses, trust in what you have'."

US Vice President Vance meets Orban shortly before the election

Meanwhile, preparations are underway in Hungary for a visit by US Vice President JD Vance after Easter. For this reason, the police have published a long list of road closures in Budapest for next Tuesday and Wednesday. The White House had announced Vance's visit for these two days shortly beforehand.

The US Vice President wants to meet Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest and give a speech on the "rich partnership" between the two countries, according to the White House.

Observers see Vance's visit shortly before the election on April 12 as campaign support for Orban, who has been head of government in Hungary since 2010. Orban has long maintained good relations with US President Donald Trump and shares his political views. He has visited the US President several times at his residence in Mar-a-Lago in Florida. In February, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio paid an official visit to Hungary.