We often refer to our monthly party preference survey as a ”popularity contest”, but in the 2026 election race, voter preferences are more indicative of the individual political personas of politicians, rather than political parties. Voters primarily follow the media duel between Péter Magyar and Viktor Orbán, who are the leaders of the two currently most popular political parties, both of which have built their campaigns around their leaders. On one side, voters can observe Péter Magyar’s “one-man show.” In contrast, there is Viktor Orbán, who has now presented himself as a prime minister, campaign leader, minister of foreign affairs, and a street fighter all in one. For this reason, it is justified to measure the popularity of leading politicians, serving as key information in the upcoming months leading up to the elections. In our last survey, we asked respondents what they think about the two ”main characters”, as well as other prominent politicians.
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