One of the largest peace marches in history preceded Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s speech on Sunday at Kossuth Lajos Square during the March 15 ceremony marking the 178th anniversary of the 1848–49 Revolution and War of Independence. The prime minister stated: “We must renew the anti-war alliance we forged in the previous election.”

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán delivers a speech during the state ceremony marking the anniversary of the 1848–49 Revolution at Kossuth Lajos Square in front of Parliament in Budapest, March 15, 2026. Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Fõosztály/Kaiser Ákos

“Sunday, bright sunshine, the heroes of ’48, great artists, a fantastic crowd—we could not ask for better company in Budapest today. Welcome,” the prime minister greeted the participants.

“Hungarians do not need to be told what freedom is; we breathe it in and know where we stand. That is how we know that love is tangible and feel the ennobling power of solidarity. The crowd alone is never enough. Freedom can only blossom from love, and solidarity can strengthen it. No matter how large the crowd, if it is brought together by hatred and anger, it will never yield freedom.

Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Fõosztály/Fischer Zoltán

Viktor Orbán stated at the beginning of his ceremonial speech.

“We will not give up on utility price caps, the 13th and 14th monthly pension payments, our family support system, or Europe’s best tax system, and we will not allow our national colors to be replaced by a Ukrainian or rainbow flag,” the prime minister emphasized.

Peace March 2026. Photo: Hungary Today

“In war, it does not matter who you are, what you have achieved, what you are good at, or what you want to accomplish in life. The only thing that matters is whether you can handle a gun (…) All that matters is how many people you have killed, how many bullets you have caught. But we do not want this fate for our children. We do not want this fate for the mothers of our children—that their sons be buried on foreign soil, under foreign flags.

“Peace=Orbán” Peace March 2026. Photo: Hungary Today

emphasized the prime minister, who believes that the April 12 parliamentary election will be decisive.

Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Fõosztály/Kaiser Ákos

“We are not merely voting for a parliament and a government; we are choosing a destiny for ourselves and for the Hungarians who will come after us.”

Peace March 2026. Photo: Hungary Today

“We have reached a crossroads. I know what this is like. I, too, have stood at a crossroads before. When, as a young man, I said no to the Soviets. Remember, we do not invite them in; we send them home. I stood at a crossroads when, as prime minister, I said no to the Germans on migration. I stood at a crossroads when I said no to Brussels on the war. And I stand at a crossroads now, together with you, when I say no to the Ukrainians.”

said Orbán.

Photo: MTI/Miniszterelnöki Kommunikációs Fõosztály/Fischer Zoltán

The Hungarian Prime Minister emphasized that there are still 28 days left until the election.

“We must not win as we did four years ago, but even better. We do not need as many votes as we did four years ago, but more. We must renew the anti-war alliance we forged in the previous election.”

Three million votes is not the ceiling, but the threshold. We must not just reach it, but cross it. We must achieve a historic victory, because the next government will bear a historic responsibility,” explained the prime minister, who believes the country needs calm, composed, and confident leaders.

A father pins a Hungarian tricolor on his son’s shirt. Photo: Hungary Today

And we are the guarantee of that. Knowing this is one thing. Going out and voting is another. We have the knowledge, but we do not have the vote yet. We can secure that on April 12. And it will be, if we work through the next 28 days without compromise and with relentless dedication to ourselves. And then we will achieve a resounding victory. So resounding that even Brussels and Kyiv will be left blinking in astonishment.

“Fidesz is the sure choice. May there be peace, freedom, and harmony!” the prime minister concluded his speech.

Péter Magyar, chairman of the main opposition party TISZA, also held a separate demonstration called the “National March” later on Sunday. The National March set off from Deák Square, and the leader of the TISZA Party held his speech at Heroes’ Square.

Péter Magyar, chairman of the TISZA Party, delivers a speech at the party’s “National March” event at Hősök Square on the anniversary of the Hungarian Revolution of 1848, March 15, 2026. Photo: MTI/Illyés Tibor

In his speech, he emphasized that 1848 belongs to all Hungarians, because freedom is the ancestral right of every Hungarian, no matter where they came from or where they lived.