by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief reporting from Budapest, Hungary
BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – A campaign video distributed by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz party, showing a little girl weeping at a window and intercut with scenes of her father being executed in war, has sparked outrage among opposition leaders, including Budapest’s mayor.
The 33-second video, apparently generated using artificial intelligence (AI), depicts a blindfolded Hungarian soldier kneeling in rain-soaked mud before being shot in the head as part of a dramatic warning tied to Hungary’s April 12 parliamentary election.
“It seems that the politics of Fidesz in Budapest is getting even lower,” said Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony.
“So far, their main activity has been enthusiastically supporting government restrictions that are destroying the capital. Now they continue with primitive, lying, intimidating propaganda,” he added.
Budapest has long been a stronghold of opposition support and resistance to Orbán’s rule. “They really deserve an even bigger election defeat on April 12 than has already been predicted,” Karácsony said.
ELECTION CAST AS ‘WAR OR PEACE’
The video opens with soldiers flying in a military helicopter toward the front lines. Meanwhile, at home, a young girl asks her mother: “Mom, when is Dad coming home? Where is he now? When can I see him again?”
Her mother, cutting mushrooms in the kitchen, replies softly, “Soon,” as a tear runs down her face.
The video then cuts to what appears to be the girl’s uniformed father, blindfolded and kneeling alongside three other soldiers, before an officer shoots him.
A voice-over concludes: “Let’s not allow others to decide the fate of our families.” It references April 12, 2026 — the date of the next parliamentary elections — adding: “War only takes away from everyone. Don’t take risks. Fidesz is the safe choice.”
Orbán has repeatedly framed the election as a choice between “war and peace,” arguing that the opposition Tisza party would, at the behest of the European Union, drag Hungary into Ukraine’s war with Russia.
MAGYAR DENOUNCES ‘MANIPULATION’
Opposition leader Péter Magyar condemned the video as “sickening, unforgivable and deeply outrageous.”
“This is not politics; this is soulless manipulation,” Magyar said in a statement.
Tisza has stated that it seeks peace and would not send weapons or troops to Ukraine.
At a government briefing, Orbán’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, said more than a thousand people are killed or seriously injured every day in Ukraine’s war.
“What we see is the reality of the war,” Gulyás said, without denying that the campaign video had been produced using artificial intelligence.
VIDEO UNDERSCORES AI CONCERNS
Fidesz has used AI-generated campaign materials repeatedly in recent months, some labeled as such and others not. Under the European Union’s forthcoming AI Act, disclosure of AI-generated political content will become mandatory — including in Hungary, a member state of the 27-nation bloc.
Experts confirmed the latest war-themed video was produced with the assistance of tech giant Google’s AI models.
Magyar previously filed a criminal complaint alleging that deepfake technology was used to impersonate him in an earlier campaign video without disclosure. He also accused Fidesz last week of threatening to release what he described as a secretly recorded intimate video involving him and a former partner.
A survey published Thursday by the 21 Research Centre indicated that 23 percent of voters believe Tisza would lead Hungary into the Ukraine war if elected. While 57 percent of Fidesz voters answered “yes,” support among Tisza voters was statistically zero.
Most independent polls show Tisza holding an 8–12 point lead over Fidesz, though pollsters close to the government maintain that the ruling party remains ahead.
CONTROVERSIAL POSTERS IN COUNTRY
The dispute over the video comes amid controversy surrounding campaign posters and billboards appearing nationwide.
Large roadside billboards warn of war and portray opposition figures as aligned with “Brussels,” messaging critics say is designed to instill fear rather than promote policy debate.
Some posters show Péter Magyar alongside European Union leaders and the EU flag, with slogans suggesting that “Brussels would decide” Hungary’s future and that an opposition victory would pull the country into Ukraine’s war with Russia.
Opposition politicians have accused the ruling party of dominating public advertising space through state-affiliated networks, allegations Fidesz has previously rejected.
The escalating campaign row overshadowed Orbán’s high-profile visit to Washington, where he attended the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump’s Board of Peace — an event underscoring his close ties with the U.S. leader.
TRUMP BACKS ORBÁN AMID TENSIONS
Trump reiterated Thursday that he endorses Orbán’s re-election, signaling continued political alignment between the two leaders ahead of Hungary’s vote.
However, Orbán later acknowledged that it remains unclear whether Trump will visit Hungary before April’s election — a move that could significantly influence the campaign.
The 62-year-old Hungarian leader also told reporters that Hungary faces mounting strategic challenges, including uncertainty over Russian oil supplies after Ukraine allegedly damaged the Druzhba (“Friendship”) pipeline.
Hungary and Slovakia responded by halting diesel deliveries to Ukraine. Kyiv has denied damaging the pipeline, blaming Russia’s military instead.
With less than two months before Hungarians head to the polls, geopolitical tensions, energy insecurity, and increasingly sharp campaign rhetoric reflect the high stakes of what is expected to be one of the most competitive elections of Orbán’s 16 years in power.
His party was expected to publish the official list of Fidesz parliamentary candidates on Friday, with observers expressing little doubt that Orbán will again be the party’s nominee for prime minister, despite trailing in most independent polls.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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