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By Natalie Huet and Alice Lee
What’s happening: In the run-up to the Hungarian election that resulted in the ouster of pro-Russia Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, Russian state media and other pro-Russia sources pushed a baseless claim that opposition challenger Péter Magyar was inspired by Ukraine to plot a coup in case Magyar lost. These claims echoed a narrative advanced in Hungary’s state-controlled media.
Context: On April 12, Magyar won a decisive victory in the Hungarian parliamentary elections, ending the 16-year rule of the pro-Kremlin, anti-European Union Orbán, who was helpful to Russia from his perch within the EU, consistently vetoing military and financial aid for Ukraine. He has been an iconic figure in a global right-wing nationalist movement.
Magyar has said he plans to rebuild the relationship between Hungary and Europe and has signaled that he will cease blocking aid to Ukraine.
A closer look: In an effort to sow doubt about the opposition’s commitment to democracy, Hungarian state-run outlets and pro-Orbán social media accounts claimed that Magyar and his Tisza party developed a plan to overthrow the government...
Although on appeal the court distinguished that there was new information in the claim, the court ultimately found the new information was not material, nor was it plead with particularity. The U....