Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto of Hungary has accused the US of spending “millions of dollars” in an attempt to remove the current Hungarian government. The diplomat claimed that the US heavily interfered in the country’s 2022 election by funding the opposition to defeat the Fidesz-KDNP alliance led by Prime Minister Victor Orban.
Despite the alleged interference, the Fidesz-KDNP alliance won 135 seats in the Hungarian National Assembly, maintaining a constitutional majority for the third election in a row. The opposition, led by Peter Marki-Zay, secured only 57 seats. Szijjarto expressed hope that future attempts to interfere in Hungarian policies would be unsuccessful.
Reports surfaced in late 2022 about illicit foreign funding of opposition party campaigns, with claims of the opposition receiving as much as $8 million from foreign entities. The US government denied the claims of interfering in the Hungarian electoral process.
Relations between the US and Hungary have soured over issues such as the Ukraine conflict, where Hungary has supported a diplomatic solution and refused to cut ties with Russia. The US has supported Ukraine with aid, leading to tensions between the two countries.