How exactly can – and why would – a foreign bank try to influence a country’s election?
One of the senior figures of Erste Bank is a key member of the Tisza Party – that much we know. Clearly, his task would be to abolish the bank tax if they came to power (this tax currently helps fund utility price protection, family support programs, and the 13th and 14th month pensions – which is precisely why Péter Magyar and his allies want to eliminate them).
So the direct influence seems obvious. But how does the indirect influence work?
Well, Erste Bank has a foundation called Erste Stiftung. The bank channels substantial funds into it, and the foundation then redistributes that money – you’ll never guess where and for what purposes.
For example, to the Civitates funding hub, which also receives money from the Soros foundations.
After receiving funding from Erste and Soros, Civitates then passes money on to outlets such as 444, Átlátszó, and Direkt36, as well as other foreign pressure organizations like the Soros-linked Amnesty, TASZ, and the Helsinki Committee.
Erste euros also flow toward organizations such as Political Capital and the Háttér Society.
In return for this funding, these actors push the agenda of the Tisza Party, promote a pro-war stance, and also spread their narratives on Ukraine, gender issues, and migration.
And it’s not just about money. The Erste Stiftung itself is also active. A few weeks ago, for instance, they invited Ákos Hadházy to Vienna to speak at one of their events about what a “post-Orbán Hungary” might look like.
Erste Bank has traditionally been linked to the Austrian Socialists, and even the Financial Times has referred to it as the “bank of the Austrian left.”
They organize events, finance media outlets, background institutions, and political actors – all in order to ensure that their own globalist interests are represented in Hungarian politics as well.
After all, they cannot defeat Viktor Orbán directly. The national government serves the Hungarian people and requires foreign banks to contribute to Hungary’s prosperity. It also refuses to yield to Ukrainian and pro-war pressure, and rejects migration and gender ideology.
This is why they want to overthrow the national government from abroad and replace it with an easily manipulated puppet government that obeys Brussels and is willing to push Hungary into the pro-Ukraine, pro-war mainstream.
The Erste Stiftung is just one of many foreign financial centers interfering in Hungarian domestic affairs. Others include the European Commission, the Soros foundations, the embassies of most Western European liberal countries, and countless pressure groups hidden behind opaque networks.
That is why we must stand up for Hungary more firmly than ever before and send them the same message we did in the 2022 election.
Hungary is not for sale. Hungarians cannot be blackmailed. Only we can decide our own future – not foreign bureaucrats, agents, banks, or energy giants.
On April 12, Viktor Orbán and Fidesz are the safe choice.
1️⃣ Foreign interference narrative (foreign interference framing)
Excerpt
“Yet how can and why would a foreign bank want to interfere in a country’s election?”
Technique
Already in the first sentence, the text establishes a sovereignty threat.
The question is rhetorical – it does not present evidence but implies an assumption as if it were a fact.
Goal
- to construct an external enemy
- to frame the election as national self-defense
Effect
The reader may conclude:
- “foreign actors are controlling politics”
- “the country must defend itself”
This is a classic sovereignty-framing technique.
2️⃣ Building a conspiracy chain (conspiracy chaining)
Excerpt
Erste → Stiftung → Civitates → media → NGOs → opposition.
Technique
The communication constructs a long funding chain that links all actors into a political conspiracy.
Key characteristics:
- no concrete evidence
- only a listing of connections
This is known as:
association-chain propaganda
Goal
- to delegitimize opposition actors
- to portray civil organizations as part of a foreign network
Effect
In the reader’s mind:
“all of them are part of the same network.”
3️⃣ Creating an enemy coalition (enemy coalition framing)
Actors mentioned
- Soros
- media
- civil organizations
- banks
- the EU
- embassies
Technique
The text merges many separate actors into one single hostile bloc.
In propaganda theory this is called:
enemy coalition framing
Goal
- to simplify a complex political landscape
- to create a “us vs. them” worldview
Effect
The reader may feel:
“everyone is working against Hungary.”
4️⃣ Scapegoating
Excerpt
“They want to abolish the bank tax.”
Technique
Economic and political conflicts are projected onto a specific actor.
This is a typical:
scapegoat narrative
Goal
- to simplify economic debates
- to discredit the political opponent
5️⃣ Moral panic framing
Key themes
- migration
- gender
- war
- Ukraine
Technique
These topics appear as strong emotional triggers.
Importantly, the text blends these issues together with the opposition.
Goal
emotional mobilization.
6️⃣ “Puppet government” narrative (puppet government framing)
Excerpt
“an easily manipulated puppet government”
Technique
The opposition is portrayed not as an independent political actor, but as a tool controlled from abroad.
This is a classic delegitimization technique.
Goal
to undermine the legitimacy of the opponent.
7️⃣ Defensive nationalism narrative (defensive nationalism)
Excerpt
“Hungary is not for sale.”
Technique
The campaign frames the election as national self-defense.
Key elements:
- sovereignty
- foreign pressure
- national resistance
Goal
to transform the election into a question of national identity and loyalty.
8️⃣ Fear framing
Threats suggested in the text
- foreign banks
- Brussels
- Soros
- NGOs
- Ukraine
- migration
- gender
Technique
Multiple different threats are linked to a single political decision.
This is known as:
fear stacking.
9️⃣ Campaign closure (political call-to-action)
Excerpt
“On April 12, Viktor Orbán and Fidesz are the safe choice.”
Technique
The entire narrative culminates in a direct electoral message.
This is a classic propaganda structure:
- danger
- enemy
- conspiracy
- solution = the speaker’s political camp
The overall propaganda structure of the text
The communication follows a very typical campaign formula:
1️⃣ foreign threat
2️⃣ financial network
3️⃣ demonization of civil organizations
4️⃣ delegitimization of the opposition
5️⃣ moral-panic topics
6️⃣ national defense narrative
7️⃣ electoral mobilization
Summary
The text represents classic populist campaign communication, simultaneously using:
- enemy framing
- conspiracy narratives
- fear mongering
- scapegoating
- moral panic framing
- nationalist framing
- campaign mobilization
The goal is not primarily to inform, but to:
➡️ emotionally mobilize the audience
➡️ construct an enemy image
➡️ increase electoral support.