Scandal in Hungary? Hundreds of state-owned properties in private hands just before the elections

In the several months preceding Sunday's parliamentary elections in Hungary, in which Peter Magyar's opposition TISZA party won, many valuable state properties were sold, noted the Hungarian economic portal G7.hu.

As the portal wrote on Monday, also recalling its previous publications on this subject, since the end of 2024, the state has sold several state buildings, including ministerial buildings, office buildings and construction plots, the value of which exceeded 1 billion forints (approx. PLN 11.7 million); the price of some reached several billion.

“It is difficult not to interpret this sales boom as an attempt to sell off a large number of valuable state properties before the elections,” commented G7.hu. “The sales wave started back in 2024 but gained real momentum last year, peaking in the first quarter of 2026.” – the portal noticed.

As calculated by G7.hu, citing the database of the state real estate manager MNV, over a year and a half, approximately 500 state properties were sold, and the number of auctions was even greater.

“Recently, the obstacle was not even the fact that a given building was still used by some state organization; in such cases, the property was sold together with the usufructuary” – the portal noted.

The sold properties included, among others: the building of the Ministry of Interior in the 5th district of Budapest, put up for auction in September 2025 after it was removed from the list of buildings under conservation protection. The property, for which one offer was received, was sold for nearly 51 billion forints.

The complex was purchased by the Eagle Hills development company from the United Arab Emirates, which was to implement a “mini-Dubai” project in Budapest – a controversial, luxurious district with skyscrapers; ultimately, the project did not come to fruition.

As part of – as the website put it – “a great state sale of real estate”, also sold, among others: complex belonging to Budapest Electrical Works (Elmu) in the 13th district for 7.7 billion forints; building of the National Tax and Customs Office (NAV) in the 5th district for 6.5 billion forints, or building of the Prime Minister's Office on Garibaldi Street in the 5th district, where, among others, government press conferences.

The G7.hu portal has published a complete list of several properties whose sales exceeded HUF 1 billion; he discussed the 10 most expensive objects in detail.

After conversion, 99 percent votes cast in the Hungarian parliamentary elections, the National Electoral Office (NVI) awards the TISZA party 138 seats in the 199-seat parliament, giving it a constitutional two-thirds majority. The Fidesz-KDNP coalition led by Prime Minister Viktor Orban received 55 seats. The extreme right, Mi Hazank, will also enter parliament and can count on six seats. (PAP)

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