After Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Janos Lazar is one of the most recognizable politicians in Hungary. In fact, the construction and transpor minister, who regularly makes headlines with racist and belittling attacks on minorities and poor people, is one of the few recognizable politicians within Orban's Fidesz party. He is still remembered for saying years ago that "those who have nothing are worth exactly that." Lazar, who is said to be keen to replace Orban one day, has now created the biggest scandal yet in Hungary's 2026 election campaign.
In Hungary, the ruling Fidesz party spent a similar amount of money on political ads during the same period, even though a general election there was, at the time, almost a year away. Considering that the Hungarian media outlets under direct governmental control are delivering the same political message as Fidesz, this means that, technically speaking, the Hungarian government spent more than all Polish political parties put together even though Poland's population is four times bigger than that of Hungary.