EU Parliament committee rejects Hungary's bid to lift immunity for rival Péter Magyar

BRUSSELS — The European Parliament's Legal Affairs Committee on Tuesday rejected Hungary's bid to lift the immunity of Péter Magyar, a leading opposition figure and Viktor Orbán's main rival.

Magyar heads the opposition party Tisza and has been portrayed as the most serious challenger to Orbán since the right-wing premier came to power in 2010. The committee's decision followed Hungary's request to strip Magyar of his immunity so prosecutors could pursue charges including the alleged theft of a mobile phone in a Budapest nightclub and defamation against a member of Orbán's Fidesz party. The vote was conducted in a closed-door session and comes amid a broader EU debate over the rule of law in Hungary. Ahead of Hungarian elections next April, Orbán has intensified messaging against Magyar, a dynamic that some analysts say could influence whether Magyar remains a candidate. Recent polling has suggested Tisza has overtaken Fidesz in some surveys, underscoring the high political stakes as the campaign season intensifies.

In the same closed-door session, the committee also blocked Hungary's bid to strip immunity from two other lawmakers, including Klára Dobrev, the head of the Democratic Coalition. It additionally upheld the immunity of Italian lawmaker Ilaria Salis, who faced prosecution in Hungary for her alleged role in assaults by antifascist activists on far-right demonstrators in Budapest in 2023. Salis was jailed for more than a year in Hungary before winning a seat in the European Parliament, which granted her immunity.

Orbán reacted on social media, calling the decision “Shameful, disgraceful” and saying, “Today in Brussels, it was proven that the leader of the opposition is Brussels’ man.”

David Cormand, a French member of the European Parliament with the Greens, told The Associated Press that he voted to uphold Salis's immunity. “The European Parliament has today sent a clear message: it will not be used as a tool for intimidation by Viktor Orbán’s authoritarian regime. By protecting Ilaria Salis, we have protected the integrity of the European Parliament, democracy and the rights of European citizens. This is a victory for the rule of law.”

The outcomes reflect a persistent clash between EU institutions and Hungary's government as Brussels weighs rule-of-law concerns and the bloc's broader efforts to constrain what it sees as democratic backsliding. The committee's decisions do not end the matter; motions to lift immunity can still move to the full Parliament and to the Council for final resolution, and Budapest could pursue further legal avenues. Analysts caution that the political theater is closely watched as Hungary approaches national elections, and as the EU continues to scrutinize compliance with EU values and standards.