By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief reporting from Budapest, Hungary
BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s former ruling Fidesz party suffered a legal setback Friday after the Constitutional Court rejected its challenge to the dismantling of controversial foundations holding vast amounts of state assets, while separate scrutiny intensified over billions of forints in public money spent on former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s social-media operation.
The Constitutional Court rejected without examining the substance of the case a petition by Fidesz lawmakers seeking to overturn provisions of Hungary’s 16th constitutional amendment concerning the so-called public-interest asset-management foundations, known by their Hungarian acronym KEKVA.
The foundations were established under Orbán’s government and received thousands of billions of forints worth of state assets, including interests connected to universities and other public institutions.
The new government of Prime Minister Péter Magyar moved to dismantle the system as part of broader changes following the defeat of Orbán, whose Fidesz party had dominated Hungarian politics for much of the past 16 years.
In an unusual twist, Fidesz lawmakers sought to strengthen their Constitutional Court challenge by citing a landmark human-rights case won by Hungary’s newly elected president, András Baka — against the Orbán-era Hungarian state.
FIDESZ CITES BAKA CASE
Baka, the former president of Hungary’s Supreme Court, was removed from that position ahead of the expiration of his mandate following judicial restructuring under Orbán’s government.
He subsequently took Hungary to the European Court of Human Rights, where he successfully argued that his removal was connected to his criticism of government-backed judicial reforms.
The case, Baka v. Hungary, became an internationally significant judgment concerning judicial independence and freedom of expression.
Yet Fidesz lawmakers — whose party was in government when Baka was removed — cited that judgment in their attempt to persuade Hungary’s Constitutional Court to strike down the new constitutional provisions concerning the asset-management foundations.
The Constitutional Court rejected their petition Friday without examining its substantive arguments because its powers to review constitutional amendments are limited to procedural issues.
POWERS LIMITED UNDER FIDESZ
That limitation itself dates back to constitutional changes enacted by Fidesz.
In 2013, Orbán’s two-thirds parliamentary majority restricted the Constitutional Court’s ability to conduct substantive reviews of amendments to Hungary’s Fundamental Law, leaving the court largely able to examine whether the required procedures for adopting them were followed.
The development underscored the dramatic reversal in Hungarian politics since Fidesz lost power: the party is now seeking constitutional protections that critics say its own governments had weakened while holding a parliamentary supermajority.
Fidesz and its Christian Democratic ally, KDNP, have also challenged the constitutional amendment that prematurely ended the mandate of former President Tamás Sulyok.
They argue that constitutional legislation should not be used as a disguised means of removing an individual officeholder — an argument that again draws parallels with Baka’s removal from the Supreme Court.
PRESIDENTIAL DISPUTE CONTINUES
Baka, 73, was elected Hungary’s president Tuesday with 140 votes in Parliament, completing a remarkable political comeback more than a decade after losing his position at the Supreme Court.
Fidesz and KDNP lawmakers boycotted his election and inauguration, arguing that Sulyok had been unlawfully removed and therefore Baka’s election lacked legitimacy.
The Tisza government rejects that argument and says Fidesz has little standing to criticize the use of a two-thirds parliamentary majority after Orbán’s governments repeatedly used their supermajorities to rewrite Hungary’s constitutional and institutional framework.
The escalating constitutional dispute comes as the new government is also examining spending under Orbán, including more than 4.2 billion forints — roughly $12 million — in public money reportedly paid over 44 months for services connected to the former prime minister’s social-media communications.
Hungary’s Prime Minister’s Office said this week that a criminal complaint had been filed over contracts involving Triton Communications, a company linked to Orbán’s social-media operation.
BILLIONS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
According to Hungarian media reports, Triton received more than 4.2 billion forints in public funds to produce photographs and videos of Orbán and provide media-monitoring reports to the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office.
The contract was reportedly extended four times, with the fee increasing on each occasion even though the substantive requirements remained largely unchanged.
Over four years, the cost of the service increased by nearly 30 percent, according to published details of the arrangements.
The criminal complaint concerns suspected misuse of public funds and abuse of office. It was filed against an unknown perpetrator, meaning Orbán himself has not been charged with a crime and the allegations have not been established in court.
The investigation is expected to examine the contracts, payments and services provided under the arrangements.
FIDESZ REJECTS ALLEGATIONS
Fidesz has rejected suggestions of wrongdoing surrounding Orbán’s social-media communications and accused the Magyar government of attempting to distract attention from its own policies.
Orbán became one of Hungary’s most prominent political users of social media during his final years in government, with professionally produced videos, photographs and other digital content forming an increasingly important part of his communications strategy.
The legal developments come as Magyar’s government intensifies its review of contracts, state assets and major projects inherited from the Orbán administration.
However, the new government’s use of its own two-thirds parliamentary majority has also raised concerns among critics who warn that replacing one dominant political system with another could further weaken institutional checks and balances.
For Baka, who has urged Hungarians to overcome years of deep political division, the confrontation carries particular symbolism: Fidesz is now invoking the landmark European human-rights victory he won against an Orbán-led Hungary while simultaneously refusing to recognize the legitimacy of his election as the country’s president.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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Hungary’s Fidesz Loses Court Challenge As Orbán-Era Spending Faces Criminal Complaint
By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief reporting from Budapest, Hungary
BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s former ruling Fidesz party suffered a legal setback Friday after the Constitutional Court rejected its challenge to the dismantling of controversial foundations holding vast amounts of state assets, while separate scrutiny intensified over billions of forints in public money spent on former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s social-media operation.
The Constitutional Court rejected without examining the substance of the case a petition by Fidesz lawmakers seeking to overturn provisions of Hungary’s 16th constitutional amendment concerning the so-called public-interest asset-management foundations, known by their Hungarian acronym KEKVA.
The foundations were established under Orbán’s government and received thousands of billions of forints worth of state assets, including interests connected to universities and other public institutions.
The new government of Prime Minister Péter Magyar moved to dismantle the system as part of broader changes following the defeat of Orbán, whose Fidesz party had dominated Hungarian politics for much of the past 16 years.
In an unusual twist, Fidesz lawmakers sought to strengthen their Constitutional Court challenge by citing a landmark human-rights case won by Hungary’s newly elected president, András Baka — against the Orbán-era Hungarian state.
FIDESZ CITES BAKA CASE
Baka, the former president of Hungary’s Supreme Court, was removed from that position ahead of the expiration of his mandate following judicial restructuring under Orbán’s government.
He subsequently took Hungary to the European Court of Human Rights, where he successfully argued that his removal was connected to his criticism of government-backed judicial reforms.
The case, Baka v. Hungary, became an internationally significant judgment concerning judicial independence and freedom of expression.
Yet Fidesz lawmakers — whose party was in government when Baka was removed — cited that judgment in their attempt to persuade Hungary’s Constitutional Court to strike down the new constitutional provisions concerning the asset-management foundations.
The Constitutional Court rejected their petition Friday without examining its substantive arguments because its powers to review constitutional amendments are limited to procedural issues.
POWERS LIMITED UNDER FIDESZ
That limitation itself dates back to constitutional changes enacted by Fidesz.
In 2013, Orbán’s two-thirds parliamentary majority restricted the Constitutional Court’s ability to conduct substantive reviews of amendments to Hungary’s Fundamental Law, leaving the court largely able to examine whether the required procedures for adopting them were followed.
The development underscored the dramatic reversal in Hungarian politics since Fidesz lost power: the party is now seeking constitutional protections that critics say its own governments had weakened while holding a parliamentary supermajority.
Fidesz and its Christian Democratic ally, KDNP, have also challenged the constitutional amendment that prematurely ended the mandate of former President Tamás Sulyok.
They argue that constitutional legislation should not be used as a disguised means of removing an individual officeholder — an argument that again draws parallels with Baka’s removal from the Supreme Court.
PRESIDENTIAL DISPUTE CONTINUES
Baka, 73, was elected Hungary’s president Tuesday with 140 votes in Parliament, completing a remarkable political comeback more than a decade after losing his position at the Supreme Court.
Fidesz and KDNP lawmakers boycotted his election and inauguration, arguing that Sulyok had been unlawfully removed and therefore Baka’s election lacked legitimacy.
The Tisza government rejects that argument and says Fidesz has little standing to criticize the use of a two-thirds parliamentary majority after Orbán’s governments repeatedly used their supermajorities to rewrite Hungary’s constitutional and institutional framework.
The escalating constitutional dispute comes as the new government is also examining spending under Orbán, including more than 4.2 billion forints — roughly $12 million — in public money reportedly paid over 44 months for services connected to the former prime minister’s social-media communications.
Hungary’s Prime Minister’s Office said this week that a criminal complaint had been filed over contracts involving Triton Communications, a company linked to Orbán’s social-media operation.
BILLIONS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA
According to Hungarian media reports, Triton received more than 4.2 billion forints in public funds to produce photographs and videos of Orbán and provide media-monitoring reports to the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office.
The contract was reportedly extended four times, with the fee increasing on each occasion even though the substantive requirements remained largely unchanged.
Over four years, the cost of the service increased by nearly 30 percent, according to published details of the arrangements.
The criminal complaint concerns suspected misuse of public funds and abuse of office. It was filed against an unknown perpetrator, meaning Orbán himself has not been charged with a crime and the allegations have not been established in court.
The investigation is expected to examine the contracts, payments and services provided under the arrangements.
FIDESZ REJECTS ALLEGATIONS
Fidesz has rejected suggestions of wrongdoing surrounding Orbán’s social-media communications and accused the Magyar government of attempting to distract attention from its own policies.
Orbán became one of Hungary’s most prominent political users of social media during his final years in government, with professionally produced videos, photographs and other digital content forming an increasingly important part of his communications strategy.
The legal developments come as Magyar’s government intensifies its review of contracts, state assets and major projects inherited from the Orbán administration.
However, the new government’s use of its own two-thirds parliamentary majority has also raised concerns among critics who warn that replacing one dominant political system with another could further weaken institutional checks and balances.
For Baka, who has urged Hungarians to overcome years of deep political division, the confrontation carries particular symbolism: Fidesz is now invoking the landmark European human-rights victory he won against an Orbán-led Hungary while simultaneously refusing to recognize the legitimacy of his election as the country’s president.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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