Visegrad Group in April 2026: the most important developments in society
In the Visegrad countries in April 2026, public life centred on Hungary's election campaign and its result. The opposition built its campaign around Hungary's struggling healthcare system. On April 11 a concert in Budapest against Viktor Orbán drew tens of thousands of people, with organisers estimating more than 100,000. Reports said pro-government media and a suspected Russian propaganda unit targeted voters with disinformation, and analysts described AI-generated content used against opposition figures. Polls found that a majority of Hungarians wanted a new approach to the EU while remaining tough on Ukraine. After Orbán lost the election on April 12, crowds celebrated in Budapest. Péter Magyar, a former government insider, had promised systemic change.
Media became the first target of that change. Magyar vowed to take the state television news service off air until it stops what he called Orbán propaganda, comparing its output to North Korea's. Staff at the state news agency demanded the return of its autonomy. The Central European University, which had been locked out of Budapest, said it saw no prospect of returning despite the result.
Elsewhere, a Polish MP displayed an Israeli flag with a swastika in place of the Star of David during a parliamentary debate related to the March of the Living, a Holocaust remembrance march. Other MPs condemned the act and it drew international criticism. In Slovakia, thousands rallied in Bratislava against Robert Fico's plan to abolish mail-in voting for citizens living abroad.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
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