Page 34 - bne IntelliNews monthly magazine November 2024

34 I Central Europe bne November 2024
Peter Magyar behind Viktor Orban in the European Parliament on October 9, 2024. / bne IntelliNews
Noticing the blunder, the propaganda channel later removed the story and reposted a shorter version, cutting it by 35 seconds and omitting the sensitive content.
Daniel Deak, the senior analyst at the pro-government 21st Century Institute, told local media that he did not request his comments be removed from the news segment.
Fidesz has switched to "panic mode", but this has become counter-productive, commented Peter Magyar citing fresh polls, which showed that among decided voters Fidesz' lead has shrunk to just 4pp, with Tisza polling at 35%.
According to Szabolcs Dull, the former editor-in-chief of Index.hu, which pro-government businessmen took over in late 2020, Fidesz launched this below-the-belt campaign to divert public attention from the handshake incident and reshape the narrative. The image depicted Peter Magyar standing and offering a handshake to the seated Prime Minister, who hesitated for a few seconds before responding.
More importantly, the campaign aims to undermine Magyar's credibility and suitability as a political figure. Fidesz hopes that such stories will diminish public confidence in his leadership capabilities, Dull added.
that she was using a teleprompter and presumably professional lighting and audio equipment. This seems to support Magyar’s claims that Fidesz is using the woman as part of a coordinated smear campaign.
The interview, which was likely pre-recorded, was preceded by one of the most absurd and surreal news reports in Hungarian media history, according to independent outlets.
TV2, Hungary’s second-largest broadcaster, ran a segment in its evening news lasting over two minutes, in which the head of the Tisza Party, wearing tight trousers, was seen fiddling with his pocket.
The camera zoomed in on his genitals, circled in red, with the narration stating: "Peter Magyar was touching his genitals,"
or "he was adjusting his penis in front of the cameras." The report added: "The politician, likely flustered, was probably trying to draw strength for his speech."
TV2’s 6 o’clock news, watched by around a million people, is the second most popular news channel after RTL, which remains critical of the government. The coverage came after a close-up image of Magyar’s groin spread swiftly on social media, shared by Orban-loyal outlets and MEP Tamas Deutsch, who also spoke at the EP session on Wednesday.
The story took an even more absurd turn when the anchor said the scenes had surprised even the "most seasoned analysts". The analyst reflecting on the scene was a pro-Orban influencer, who is believed to be attracted to his own sex.
Slovakia's Fico hardens opposition to
Ukraine's Nato bid
Albin Sybera
Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico has hardened his opposition to Ukraine's bid to join Nato, saying that "as long as I am head of the Slovak government I will direct MPs [from his leftist Smer party] never to agree to Ukraine's joining Nato".
Fico made the comments during Sunday’s political discussion show
www.bne.eu
O5minut12[At5to12]airedbythe state broadcaster STVR. He has long said he would veto Ukraine's Nato bid and described Ukraine as "a corrupt country", but he had struck a more diplomatic tone when he met his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal in April. Fico made his latest sharp statement against Ukraine's Nato bid just days before he is to meet Shmyhal
again at the border town of Uzhhorod on October 7.
The latest O 5 minut 12 discussion commemorated the 80th anniversary of the World War II battle of the Dukla Pass – when Nazi armies thwarted the Soviet attempt to break through the Carpathian mountains around the Polish-Slovak border to support the