Musk Claims Soros Network Took Over Hungary After Orban’s Defeat

Elon Musk has accused the Open Society Foundations (OSF) network of “taking over” Hungary following the electoral defeat of Prime Minister Viktor Orban. In a post on X, Musk responded to Alexander Soros, the son of billionaire George Soros and chair of the OSF, who celebrated the election results as “a resounding rejection of entrenched corruption and foreign interference.” Musk claimed, “Soros Organization has taken over Hungary,” and further commented that the support from prominent figures such as Barack Obama, Keir Starmer, and Volodymyr Zelensky for the election outcome “should tell you everything.”

These remarks followed the Tisza party’s decisive victory in Hungary’s parliamentary election, where it secured 138 out of 199 seats with 53.6% of the vote. In contrast, Orban’s Fidesz party received 37.8% of the vote, winning only 55 seats, while voter turnout approached 80%. Although the Tisza party is conservative in nature, it has committed to reversing key aspects of Orban’s policies, including fostering closer ties with the European Union and NATO.

Orban, who has been in power for 16 years, has long accused George Soros of promoting “woke” ideologies and “liberal internationalism.” He asserts that Soros aims to make native Europeans a minority through mass immigration. The Open Society Foundations has maintained a significant presence in Hungary, having spent nearly $90 million between 2016 and 2023 on local organizations. Notably, in the year leading up to the 2022 parliamentary elections, the network provided a record $17 million in funding.

Research conducted by the Center for Fundamental Rights indicates that Hungary received nearly double the average per-country funding from the OSF compared to other countries in Europe and the post-Soviet region, with at least 153 organizations benefiting. In 2018, Orban’s government enacted the “Stop Soros” anti-migration legislation, which effectively forced the OSF to leave Hungary. However, critics argue that the network continues to exert influence through alternative channels.