Hungary’s EU-Friendly Government Orders Raid on Orbán’s Party

Hungarian prosecutors on Tuesday carried out a large raid on server facilities housing the Fidesz party’s communications systems and databases. The raid is part of an ongoing corruption investigation, but has met harsh protests from the party, which describes the move as an unprecedented politically motivated attack since the fall of communism.

According to Fidesz, investigators from the Prosecutor’s Office arrived unannounced at the data center where the party’s servers are located, with the intention of seizing the entire party’s communications systems and databases.

Among the materials reportedly confiscated are the party’s internal email infrastructure and other digital records, according to several international media outlets.

The Bács-Kiskun Prosecutor’s Office confirms that a criminal investigation is underway related to the state National Cultural Fund and suspicions of embezzlement as well as other crimes. No further details have been released, citing the ongoing investigation.

Fidesz: No Precedent Since the Fall of Communism

Fidesz reacted immediately to the raid, claiming that the action has no precedent in the history of democratic Hungary. The party argues that the intervention has given the state access to much of the opposition’s internal communications and describes it as a serious violation against the political opposition.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated that he learned about the raid from Fidesz’s own statements but did not comment on the substance of the investigation.

Part of a Wider Purge of the Orbán Era

Since the Tisza party secured a two-thirds majority in the election, Magyar’s government has launched a series of major so-called reforms aimed at dismantling the power structure built during Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in office.

The government describes these measures as necessary to reestablish the rule of law, fight corruption, and restore confidence in state institutions.

A central part of the reform program has been investigating alleged corruption during the previous government and reclaiming assets that, according to the government, were obtained illegally.

The investigation into the National Cultural Fund has already led to several people being charged or detained, including former Fidesz politician Balázs Bus, who served as the deputy chairman of the fund.

Opposition Sees a Pattern

Fidesz and other critics, however, argue that the raid on the party’s servers cannot be seen in isolation but is yet another move in the government’s settling of accounts with the former power structure.

In recent months, the government has pushed through a constitutional amendment that ended President Tamás Sulyok’s term prematurely, while also implementing several changes in the country’s constitutional institutions.

The government has also announced a new constitution and carried out what it calls reforms that affect, among other things, the Constitutional Court and other state agencies.

The government has defended all these measures as necessary to restore democratic accountability after Orbán’s long rule. Fidesz, however, describes them as politically motivated purges targeting the conservative opposition.

Criticism Over Silence from Former Orbán Critics

The developments have also sparked debate about the reactions of the international community. Critics argue that several European institutions, politicians, and media organizations that previously issued frequent and sharp criticism against Viktor Orbán’s government have now been significantly more restrained in their comments about Magyar’s actions.

The raid on Fidesz’s server facilities is now expected to become another test in the growing conflict between the new government and the previous power structure – and likely also a new flashpoint in the international debate about the rule of law, power transitions, and political accountability in Hungary.