On October 17, Árpád János Potápi, State Secretary for National Policy, passed away unexpectedly. Alongside his government duties, Potápi served as an individually elected MP as well, so a by-election had to be called within 120 days of the mandate going vacant in Tolna County’s 2nd district, the seat of which is the town of Dombóvár. This is the first such election since the regime change in the constituency, which Potápi had been reliably securing for Fidesz since 2014. In Bonyhád, the district’s second-largest settlement, Potápi served as mayor for 12 years and represented the area in Parliament since 1998. In 2014, after a legal amendment had ruled out holding both mayoral and parliamentary positions simultaneously, Potápi chose national politics.
An important pillar of Fidesz’s dominance is the fact that while Bonyhád is traditionally a right-leaning settlement, it has been included in the same district with the swing town of Dombóvár and 56 smaller settlements since 2014. After the redrawing of district boundaries, no one could challenge Potápi: he won all three elections with large margins, securing an impressive 62% in 2022, which is 3.5% higher than Fidesz’s national list score in the area.
Fidesz has nominated Krisztina Csibi. The native of Kisdorog, who began her career as a kindergarten teacher, had spent decades working with Potápi and has also been dealing with national policy as the director of the Magyarság Háza institution.
Since June, Hungary has faced the unorthodox situation where the largest opposition party, Tisza – which according to some polls has already overtaken Fidesz – has no parliamentary representation. Meanwhile, four opposition parties, now existing mostly in name only, still have factions (though LMP’s is on borrowed time). This situation will persist until 2026, but Tisza’s absence now gives other opposition parties a chance. DK, MSZP, and ex-Jobbik chief Gábor Vona’s Második Reformkor (Second Reform Era Movement) have all seized the opportunity, but the most serious candidate is fielded by Mi Hazánk,
However, if there is any district where no amount of effort may suffice to defeat Fidesz, it is Tolna 2.
