The Respect and Freedom Party, also called Tisza Party and TISZA, is a conservative political group in Hungary. It supports European Union values and has ideas that appeal to many people. The party was created in 2020. It became more well-known after 2024 when Péter Magyar, a former member of another party called Fidesz, joined. Members of his group, "Stand up Hungarians Community," took important roles in the party to help with the 2024 European Parliament election. The party won 7 seats in the European Parliament. Magyar became the party leader on July 22, 2024. Zoltán Tarr and Andrea Bujdosó are the party's leaders in the European Parliament and the General Assembly of Budapest, respectively. In the parliamentary election on April 12, 2026, the party won a large majority, giving it the power to change Hungary's basic laws. This ended the 16-year leadership of Viktor Orbán and his party, Fidesz.
The party is part of the European People's Party Group. It is described as conservative, liberal conservative, or populist. It supports strong ties with the European Union and NATO and wants Hungary to use the Euro. The party works to stop corruption and criticizes what it calls the "mafia state" of Viktor Orbán. It wants Hungary to join the European Public Prosecutor's Office and make the courts independent. The party also suggests stronger limits on the government, such as having the President of Hungary chosen by voters and holding a vote to limit the Prime Minister to serving a maximum of two terms, totaling 8 years.
History
The party was created on October 23, 2020, by Attila Szabó and Boldizsár Deák. It aimed to participate in the 2022 Hungarian parliamentary election. The party refused to accept money from the government and instead relied on donations and the personal wealth of its members. Although it collected 222,000 forints, it was not allowed to run in the elections that year.
The name "Tisza" combines the first parts of the Hungarian words tisztelet (respect) and szabadság (freedom). This name is connected to the Tisza River, which is important in Hungarian culture and literature. The party uses this name in its campaigns, and its current leader, Péter Magyar, often refers to it. For example, Magyar uses the phrase "the Tisza is flooding!" (Hungarian: Árad a Tisza!) during rallies, referencing the river’s frequent floods on the Great Hungarian Plain.
The party was not very active until 2024. Péter Magyar, a former politician from the Fidesz party and the ex-husband of former justice minister Judit Varga, became involved in politics after a scandal involving the pardon of a man who tried to hide evidence of child sexual abuse. President Katalin Novák pardoned the man, and as Minister of Justice, Varga also signed the pardons, making her part of the scandal. Magyar held his first protest on March 15, the anniversary of the start of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution. While the government and traditional opposition parties also held events that day, Magyar’s protest received more attention.
After this, Magyar caused another controversy by sharing a recording about the Schadl–Völner corruption case, which involved two high-ranking officials. In the recording, his ex-wife—then Minister of Justice—admitted that government officials had altered trial documents. When Magyar shared this information with a jury, about 1,000 people gathered outside to demand the government resign.
In March 2024, Magyar announced he wanted to run in the 2024 European Parliament election in Hungary. However, he could not form his own party because of time limits for registration. Before joining a party, pollsters predicted that a list led by Magyar could win several seats and 13% of the vote. In April, it was announced that Magyar would join the Tisza party. He was elected as one of the party’s vice presidents and the top candidate on its European Parliament list.
In the May 2024 European Parliament election, Tisza received nearly 30% of the vote and won 7 seats. This result was seen as a challenge to the ruling Fidesz party led by Viktor Orbán. Magyar initially refused to take his seat but later asked party members to vote on the issue. Over 75% supported him, so he became one of the 7 Tisza members in the European Parliament.
After the election, Tisza began growing its membership and local support, as the party had not been successful before Magyar joined. To prepare for the 2026 Hungarian election, the party created "Tisza Islands" (Tisza Sziget), a network of local supporters and potential candidates. By January 2025, social media analysis showed 208 "islands" with over 20,000 members. Magyar also held public events, such as walking across the country with supporters.
In July 2024, Magyar became the party’s leader, replacing Attila Szabó, who was given the title of honorary president. In July 2025, Tisza launched Tiszta Hang ("Clear Voice"), a newspaper delivered by volunteers to reach rural voters. The first copies, nearly one million in total, were distributed from August 8–10. However, some media outlets, like 444.hu, noted that the publication resembled a program booklet more than a newspaper.
In March 2025, Magyar announced an informal referendum questionnaire with 13 questions. People could answer online or in person, and the results would guide the party’s policies. Over 1.1 million responses were collected. Most questions had over 90% of respondents in agreement, though the final question about Ukraine’s EU membership was more divided, with 58% supporting the current position.
On July 12, 2025, the party held its second congress in Nagykanizsa, attended by thousands of people. At the event, the party announced it would hold closed primaries for all its candidates, with members selecting one candidate out of three approved options in multiple rounds. Magyar stated the party would run independently and outlined plans for a "Hungarian New Deal" if Tisza won the 2026 election. This plan focused on using money the party claims could be reclaimed from the EU, based on ideas from the "voice of the nation" questionnaire. Magyar also promised to increase rural outreach, including a planned 80-day tour of the country. A few days after the congress, the BBC reported that Tisza had about two million supporters, matching the size of Fidesz’s core base.
After calling for candidates in 2024, the party selected 103 of its 106 future candidates for the 2026 parliamentary election through a two-round primary in late 2025. In each district, the party nominated three candidates, except for the district where Magyar and two other seats. In the first round, all Tisza Island members over 16 could vote using a modified Borda count method. In the second round, all citizens over 18 could vote for the two remaining candidates. Winners were announced on November 28, 2025.
During the 2026 election campaign, the party used the slogan "Now or never!" (Most vagy soha!). Later, signs with "or never" crossed out appeared to emphasize urgency.
Tisza ended Viktor Orbán and Fidesz’s 16-year rule in a major victory, winning a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly. This gave the party the power to change Hungary’s constitution without needing support from other parties. Tisza secured at least 136 seats and ultimately won 141 seats after counting votes from the Hungarian diaspora. This was the largest share of the National Assembly won by a Hungarian party in a free election. The results matched independent polling that showed Tisza leading Fidesz for nearly two years, despite predictions by pro-government pollsters that Fidesz would win.
Ideology and policy
Before Magyar became involved, Tisza was a small conservative party that did not have a clear political ideology. Under Magyar’s leadership, Tisza became a center-right political party and joined the European People's Party Group (EPP Group). Tisza is often described as being closely connected to Magyar and has been called a "centrist anti-establishment party," conservative, liberal-conservative, conservative-liberal, or national conservative. The party has avoided taking strong positions on specific issues to attract a wide range of voters.
Magyar chose Tisza because it was a grassroots party with similar views about creating an organization that is not tied to a specific ideology. He aimed to form a "third political force" in Hungary to challenge the System of National Cooperation (NER), which Fidesz uses to control society. Magyar defended free speech after some members were fired from their jobs for participating in demonstrations.
Magyar organized protests against the "mafia state" and the NER, which he claimed was corrupt. He accused the Fidesz government of helping its allies and allowing a few families to control the country. Tisza has refused to work with the opposition, believing they support the government. To fight corruption, Magyar proposed joining the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) and making the judiciary independent. He also suggested strengthening checks and balances in government and not punishing political opponents. The party also wants to release documents about Communist-era agents to investigate wealth gained during privatization in the 1990s.
Magyar has called for the president of Hungary to be directly elected by citizens and for former presidents to lose their benefits. Tisza supports limiting the time elected officials can serve, and the party plans to hold a referendum to limit the prime minister to two terms (eight years).
A top goal for Tisza, if it wins power, would be to recover €20 billion in EU funds that were withheld because the Fidesz government broke EU rules about immigration. Magyar plans to use these funds to boost the economy and support small businesses. He also supports setting national minimums for energy and welfare and wants Hungary to adopt the Euro for economic stability.
Tisza supports European Union policies and has a pro-Western stance. Viktor Orbán, leader of Fidesz, claimed Tisza is the European Commission’s "puppet government" to replace Fidesz. Fidesz also cited Russian claims that the European Commission wants Magyar and Tisza in power, which Magyar called Russian interference. In the European Parliament, Tisza members mostly support pro-EU groups but sometimes align with Fidesz on certain issues.
Tisza agrees with Fidesz’s position of not sending weapons or troops to support Ukraine after Russia’s invasion and opposes Ukraine’s fast track to joining the EU. Orbán has accused Tisza of being pro-Ukraine, but no evidence has been provided. Tisza supports strict migration rules like Fidesz and has criticized the government for bringing in many non-EU workers.
In December 2025, Slovakia passed a law that makes it illegal to question the Beneš decrees, which were post-World War II rules that took property from Hungarians in Slovakia. This became a major topic in elections due to close ties between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico. Magyar later used the term "Felvidék," a historical name for Upper Hungary, to refer to Hungarians in Slovakia, which led to criticism from Slovakia’s government.
Tisza has avoided discussing specific social issues. Magyar has refused to engage in debates about "culture war" topics, calling them government propaganda. The party did not mention LGBTQ rights during the 2026 election campaign but promised to protect freedom of assembly after the 2025 Budapest Pride event. After Tisza’s election victory, Magyar said Hungary should be a place where no one is stigmatized for loving someone differently, showing a more supportive stance on LGBTQ rights compared to Orbán.
Attacks against the party
The party claims it has been attacked and accused by many people and groups connected to the Fidesz government. In May 2025, a new rule was passed that changed how officials must report their assets. Many believed this rule was aimed at Magyar and might have removed his position as an MEP. As a result, Magyar and all other MEPs shared details about their assets publicly. In June 2025, a request was made to suspend Magyar’s legal protection as an MEP after several legal cases were brought against him, including defamation cases from two MPs (one from Fidesz and one from Our Homeland Movement). Magyar said he would give up his legal protection if the Hungarian government joined the European Public Prosecutor’s Office. In September, a committee decided to protect his legal rights, and the European Parliament was set to make a final decision in October.
In August 2025, during a public event in Gyula, a man tried to throw an object at Magyar. Magyar first said it was a beer can, but later reports and videos showed it was a packet of sunflower seeds. Also in August, a man wrote on Facebook: “Hátravinni, agyon lőni!!” (“Take him back, shoot him!!”). Police arrested the man and found hunting-related weapons at his home. In September 2025, some analysts and critics said they believed Prime Minister Orbán was preparing to remove Magyar from the 2026 election.
In February 2026, a website called radnaimark.hu posted a photo of an empty bed with the title “Coming soon.” Later, the same photo was shared again with the date August 3, 2024, and the title “Once upon a time.” Magyar admitted he had consensual sex with his former girlfriend at that location and called the photo part of a “Russian-style campaign.” The image became widely shared online.
In March, an organization linked to Fidesz, called Nemzeti Ellenállási Mozgalom, released a computer-generated comic titled Én, a kétarcú (I, the Two-faced). The comic shows Magyar as a demonic and corrupt figure controlled by Brussels and Kyiv. The European Union and the European People’s Party are shown as mafia groups. The comic claims Magyar wanted to become minister of justice, but his wife was chosen by Orbán instead. Magyar supposedly took revenge by working with the EPP, Shell, and Erste. Billboards promoted the comic, which received only one star out of five on a bookstore website.
During a public opinion survey, reports said activists from the Tisza party were attacked at public events, and the party claimed these attacks were encouraged by Prime Minister Orbán. Magyar also said Fidesz might stage attacks using people dressed as Tisza activists. Magyar claimed the Democratic Alliance of Hungarians in Romania (RMDSZ) acted as spies for Fidesz in the European Parliament. The party said there were attempts to blackmail some Tisza politicians. In June 2025, a volunteer platform on Discord had a data leak that affected about 500 volunteers. The party called this a “Russian-style smear campaign.” The Discord server was closed after the incident.
On February 14, Orbán said the Tisza party was “a German product” created by Shell and Erste. Some independent candidates running in elections have names similar to real Tisza party members, such as Péter Tisza or Péter Magyar (not the leader). These similar names are meant to confuse voters on election day.