“Independent and critical outlets operate alongside a much larger pro-government media sector,” the report read.
Kovács dismissed the OSCE’s concerns, calling its warnings of government influence over the media a “political opinion” and casting doubt on the credibility of its findings.
As the campaign intensifies and polls continue to suggest that the opposition Tisza Party could win, analysts warn that both Tisza and the ruling Fidesz may clash after election night and challenge the result.
Veteran election observer Péter Kramer, who has over 16 years of experience observing elections on behalf of the EU, warned the growing presence of parallel missions could muddy the waters.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if there were disingenuous observers,” he said, noting that politically aligned groups increasingly deploy missions to shape the narrative after the vote. “It’s an international trend.”
An organization closely linked to Fidesz, the Civic Cooperation Forum, has called on U.S. President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace, which promotes global conflict resolution, to deploy an election observation mission ahead of the April 12 vote. Meanwhile, a conservative Polish think tank on Monday announced a coalition of 100 international observers from 10 EU and non-EU countries under the banner “Liberty Coalition for a Free and Fair Election.”
The coalition is co-led by the president of the Edmund Burke Foundation, which regularly organizes National Conservatism Conferences in Brussels and Washington. Previous guests of those summits include U.K. right-wing political leader Nigel Farage, French far-right essayist and politician Éric Zemmour, American conservative political activist Tucker Carlson — and Viktor Orbán himself.
Orbán’s political director, Balázs Orbán, welcomed the new mission. “Independent eyes help ensure the outcome speaks for itself,” he said.