New Hungarian opposition figure mobilized massive rally

BUDAPEST -- Hungary's newcomer opposition figure Peter Magyar organized a massive demonstration against the government here on Saturday.

Thousands of Hungarians heeded Magyar's call to assemble at Deak Square before marching in downtown Budapest to Kossuth Square, in front of the Hungarian Parliament.

Magyar, the ex-husband of former Justice Minister Judit Varga, mobilized the crowd. The 43-year-old had long been close to the ruling Fidesz party until he parted ways, vowing to challenge Prime Minister Viktor Orban by forming a new political party.

Varga was forced to stand down from public life over a pardon scandal that also saw the resignation of President Katalin Novak, and Magyar has since emerged as a major Orban critic.

During the demonstration, Magyar listed his demands: a strong, sovereign Hungary within a strong European Union (EU); resolution of the rule of law disputes with the EU; accession to the European Public Prosecutor's Office with zero tolerance for corruption; and a rejection of a federal European superstate, among others.

Last month, Magyar released a recording allegedly implicating a top minister, Antal Rogan, in a high-profile corruption case, calling for the chief prosecutor to resign.

This rally follows a national day event on March 15, where Magyar pledged to create a new centrist party, and a subsequent march on March 27, where protesters demanded Orban's resignation.

Tamas Menczer, communications director of the ruling Fidesz-Christian Democrats, said on Saturday that Magyar is the new politician of the "dollar left," which would "take Hungary to war," according to Hungarian news agency MTI.