Fidesz accuses government of trying to shut down party infrastructure

Hungary's main opposition party Fidesz said prosecutors today raided the premises housing its internet servers, accusing the new centre-right government of trying to shut down its operations.

This was reported by Reuters, stating that prosecutors and the ruling Tisa party did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar said in a Facebook post that he was "eagerly awaiting information from the prosecution."

The Hungarian ousted Viktor Orban's Fidesz party in a landslide election victory in April, ending the nationalist party's 16-year rule. The Hungarian has pledged to restore democratic standards in Hungary, which has often clashed with the European Union over issues such as the rule of law, corruption and minority rights.

However, since losing power, Fidesz has accused Tisa of acting authoritarianally.

"Investigators from the prosecution arrived without prior notice at the center where the Fidesz party servers are located, with the intention of seizing the party's entire communication system and databases," Fidesz posted on Facebook.

"There has been no precedent for something like this in Hungary since 1990, when communism ended," the party said, adding that it would "oppose the aggressive tyranny of the Tisza party."

Tisa denies being authoritarian towards political opponents. She has promised to crack down on corruption, which she says was widespread under Orban, as part of efforts to bring Hungary back into the mainstream of the European Union.

Orban has denied the corruption allegations.

The Fidesz statement did not specify where the search was carried out, but prosecutors in the southern city of Bács-Kiskun told the 24.hu portal that the action was linked to an investigation into "misappropriation of funds and other criminal acts" at the National Cultural Fund (NKA).

They did not release other details.

Reuters recalls that earlier this year, authorities opened criminal proceedings against several current and former officials over decisions to allocate funds to the National Anti-Corruption Commission worth more than 17 billion forints ($53,91 million). The individuals involved in the proceedings have denied any wrongdoing.

The criminal proceedings were initiated following allegations that the NKA, through a non-transparent distribution process, directed billions of forints of state grants to artists and organizations affiliated with Fidesz.