A documentary titled The Price of the Vote, released Thursday evening, accuses Prime Minister Viktor Orban's Fidesz government of widespread voter intimidation across Hungary. The film, produced by independent journalists after a six-month investigation, premiered at a Budapest cinema and is available on YouTube. It claims these tactics target 53 of Hungary's 106 constituencies, potentially swaying up to 600,000 voters, or about 10% of the expected turnout.

The allegations focus on rural and small-town areas, many with large Roma populations in poverty. Interviewees, including voters, mayors, former election officials, and a disguised police officer from 14 of Hungary's 19 counties, describe vote-buying with 50,000-60,000 forints (£110-£133) per vote and illegal drugs like "crack" or "smoky." Local Fidesz mayors allegedly control access to firewood, jobs, transport to polls, medicine, and child welfare services to enforce support. One Roma woman said her family faced child removal threats after her husband considered opposing Fidesz. The police officer stated, "I didn't become a police officer to serve a corrupt system. To help cover things up." Filmmaker Áron Timár emphasized dependency over cash: "The key word here is dependency and vulnerability."

These practices reportedly yield 80-100% Fidesz votes in affected villages during past elections. Orban urged mayors in January: "Mayors, ladies and gentlemen, the situation is the following: this election must be won by you."

The claims emerged two weeks before Hungary's April 12 parliamentary elections, pitting Orban's Fidesz-KDNP alliance against challenger Péter Magyar's Tisza party. Polls show a tight race, with Tisza leading 58% to 35% in one survey and 46% Fidesz to 40% Tisza in another. Magyar, a former Fidesz insider, has surged since 2024 scandals eroded opposition unity, positioning Tisza as the main anti-Orban force.

Fidesz offered no direct denial. Public Administration Minister Tibor Navracsics said, "If there is any wrongdoing, just let the ministry of interior do its job." Officials instead highlight alleged foreign meddling by the EU and Ukraine, with Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó calling such claims "crude foreign intelligence interference." Pro-government sources affirm election integrity through multiparty oversight at polls and OSCE monitoring, dismissing fraud narratives as opposition tactics ahead of defeat.

Past elections drew similar but smaller-scale complaints of irregularities, though OSCE reports noted transparency measures. With Fidesz in power since 2010, the stakes are high for Orban's bid to extend his 16-year rule amid economic woes and EU tensions.