In the first stage, registered party members will choose candidates next week. Anyone who registers and votes will take place between November 25-27,  he said, adding that the final candidates will be announced on November 30.

The party is fielding mainly non-political figures, doctors, teachers, small business owners, or blue-collar workers in line with Magyar's pledge to field candidates without prior party political backgrounds.

In an interview with Telex.hu, Magyar said that the six-month process of picking the 315 candidates out of 10,000 applicants was a "difficult but very uplifting task."

"We promised to field candidates without prior partisan backgrounds, and we have fulfilled that", Magyar added.

The party has pledged to rebuild public trust by running candidates with local credibility rather than seasoned party figures, in contrast to the fragmented traditional opposition, which has struggled to coordinate candidates or present a unified electoral strategy since 2022.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban also commented on the nominees on his social-media platform, stating that "there is nothing to see here" and it represents "the same left-wing group as four years ago". "The nominees are far too leftist, too pro-Brussels, too risky", he commented.

Magyar struck back, saying the ruling party had been surprised by the final line-up, arguing that those attacked by the prime minister are teachers, doctors, and other civilians with no political past.

The Tisza Party, founded in early 2024 by the former Fidesz cadre, ex-husband of former Justice Minister Judit Varga, following the clemency scandal, quickly emerged as the strongest challenger to the ruling party. In a matter of months, it achieved a breakthrough in the European Parliament and municipal elections, garnering 30% of the vote.

Polls throughout 2025 have consistently placed Tisza ahead of or neck-and-neck with Fidesz, triggering an unprecedented smear campaign against the party and some of its associates.

The fielding of candidates marks a turning point for the party, which has for long been deemed as a one-man show of Peter Magyar. With more than 300 official candidates taking the political field, Tisza Party has begun the next phase and the most crucial part of the campaign.

The candidates are likely to be targeted heavily by Fidesz and its affiliated media, while their lack of political experience may pose some risks for Magyar.

Magyar also said Tisza does not plan to work together with the "old opposition", neither in the countryside nor in Budapest, where the liberals and social democrats had strong positions. 

In the current political climate, "one either votes for Tisza or for keeping Viktor Orban in power".

Magyar emphasised the importance of grassroots engagement, his country tour to cities and small settlements, seen as a major catalyst for the party's success.

Magyar also touched on the data breach of the Tisza mobile application after which 200,000 names of Tisza supporters were listed online, saying it was not a data leak, nor an insider job, but a serious crime. Earlier, he spoke of potential Russian involvement in hacking the app.

Fidesz politicians and pro-government media used the database to target and intimidate sympathisers of the opposition party, Magyar said, who promised accountability after regime change.

Magyar said that following a change of government, the first tasks would include stabilising the state budget, safeguarding the functioning of public services, adopting anti-corruption measures, ensuring media freedom and judicial independence, and securing access to EU funds.

Hungary should join the European Public Prosecutor's Office before moving on to tax reductions and pension increases, he added.

He emphasised the psychological importance of ending political propaganda, which he said could be achieved "within days." According to Magyar, a change in political culture would bring visible relief immediately.

The next parliamentary elections are scheduled for April 12. Hungary has a single-round, mixed electoral system with 199 seats up for grabs in the National Assembly. 106 seats are selected in single-member constituencies, and 93 are allocated through a national party list, with a 5% threshold for parties.