Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Budapest on April 6 for the third mass demonstration in less than a month called by Peter Magyar, a rising challenger to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's right-wing nationalist government.
Magyar, who broke publicly with Orban's Fidesz party in February, used the rally to announce the creation of a political umbrella organization aimed at uniting both conservative and liberal Hungarians disillusioned with Orban's administration and the fragmented political opposition.
"Step by step, brick by brick, we are taking back our homeland and building a new country, a sovereign, modern, European Hungary," said Magyar, who has argued that Hungary's political life has been taken over by oligarchs and anti-democratic elites and advocated for a moral, political, and economic transformation of the country.
"More than 20 years have passed as our elected leaders have incited the Hungarian people against each other...instead of allowing us to band together," he told the demonstration. "We will put an end to this now."
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'Nail In The Coffin': Disappointed Hungarians March Against Government
Magyar, 43, posted on Facebook prior to the demonstration that the new political community was aimed at giving Hungarians a chance to "join the joint work to build a new sovereign, modern, European Hungary."
The announcement followed similar themes voiced at demonstrations in central Budapest on March 15 and March 27 that also drew tens of thousands of people.
He previously said that he is preparing for European Parliament (EP) elections and municipal elections in June, as well as the 2026 parliamentary elections. Magyar was expected to announce which party he will represent in the EP elections, but he said only that he would make that announcement "when the time comes."
But Magyar said the June 9 EP elections would be a decisive day and announced that he will begin a two-month tour of the country next week that would include stops in small towns.
"We must take back our villages and towns. We must liberate the country," he said, stressing that his goal is to clean up public life and demand that the government return power and choice to the people.
Hungary's government has dismissed Magyar as an opportunist seeking to forge a new career after his divorce from Orban ally and former Justice Minister Judit Varga.
Magyar released an audio recording on March 26 of a conversation between him and Varga that he said proved that top officials had conspired to manipulate court records to cover up their involvement in a corruption case.
He shared the recording with prosecutors and has urged Hungarians to demand justice and an investigation into what is known as the Schadl-Volner case.
Varga, who abandoned plans to lead Fidesz's candidates in the EP elections, dismissed the recording as coerced and a "vile manipulation" in a long-running effort to "blackmail" her and repeated accusations that Magyar had abused her during their marriage.
Magyar has repeatedly denied mistreating Varga.
The Schadl-Volner case involves possible activities by Gyorgy Schadl, head of the chamber of judicial officers, and a former secretary of state at the Justice Ministry, Pal Volner.