Rearticulating “Us” and “Them”: Challenging Fidesz’s War-Focused Discourse Before the 2026 Elections

In Orbánism’s discursive construction, a constantly evolving chain of equivalence plays a decisive role. This set of constructions unites the enemy’s different modalities, in addition to the construction of the “Us”. The new, potent challenger, Péter Magyar and the Tisza party, which appeared on the scene in 2024, are simultaneously building on Fidesz’s and the old opposition’s chain. This is a selective maneuver that may threaten the stability of these discursive constructs by dissolving their role within the mutually exclusive polarization logic. By the spring 2026 elections, Hungarian politics will have reached a turning point. The paper tries to trace the dynamics of, on the one hand, the central, also deeply emotional moments of the hegemonic Fidesz discourse, and, on the other hand, the Tisza party’s counter-discursive construction. In connection with Tisza, the presentation examines not only the dissolution of the dominant chain of equivalence and the offer of a completely different social contract, but, above all, Tisza’s responses to the polarizing moments of the Fidesz discourse. The focus is on the following: the structure, logic, and everyday examples of Fidesz’s fear-mongering, war-focused chain of equivalence. Depending on the months leading up to the elections, sovereignty (vs. Brussels) and migration (with a long history in the Orbán era) can also be included here, predictably. On the other hand, from the Tisza side, the way to dissolve the former opposition and the Fidesz chain, as well as the strategies with which the movement responds to the emotionally resonant claims that Fidesz has been thematizing and has been very strongly present since the autumn of 2025. By discussing these, we may address two questions: whether it is possible to begin with a tabula rasa in political discourse (and, if not, what the consequences would be), and whether it is possible to achieve depolarization dynamics in a decisive political moment with real stakes.