Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (R) and Russian President Vladimir Putin hold a joint press conference following their talks at the PMs office in the Castle of Buda in Budapest, Hungary, 30 October 2019 (reissued 11 March 2026). Hungarian parliamentary elections are scheduled for 12 April 2026, pitting Prime Minister Viktor Orb?n's Fidesz party against his opponent P?ter Magyar's Tisza party. Fidesz has dominated Hungarian politics since 2010, securing supermajorities in 2014, 2018, and 2022 thanks to nationalist policies, control of the media, and tensions with the EU. P?ter Magyar, a former Fidesz member, currently leads among committed voters, boosted by anti-corruption appeals and economic demands. EPA/ZOLTAN MATHE HUNGARY OUTHUNGARY OUT *** Local Caption *** 55589455 Opinion polls show the nationalist Orban, who has fostered warm ties with Putin despite the Ukraine war, trailing his centre-right opponent ahead of the April 12 vote. His defeat would have big implications for Europe amid the rise of far-right parties.
The Hungarian Helsinki Committee (HHC) this month sent a letter to the leadership of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, calling for the removal of Daria Boyarskaya from its election observer mission.
"The HHC requested that Putin's former interpreter be relieved of her duties related to the Hungarian elections to ensure an atmosphere of trust and confidentiality," the group wrote on its website.
Boyarskaya, a senior adviser at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA), "assists with preparations and undertakes official visits by OSCE PA officials and supports election observation missions", according to the organization's website.
She previously worked at Russia's Foreign Ministry.
HHC co-chair Marta Pardavi said her group had received a response from OSCE PA Secretary General Roberto Montella expressing confidence in Boyarskaya.
"I was disappointed by the secretary general's letter as I felt he does not fully hear the concerns that I express," Pardavi told Reuters.
Montella and a spokesperson for OSCE PA did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
SANCTIONED BY POLAND
In 2022 Poland placed Boyarskaya on its sanctions list, barring her from entering the country.
Poland's interior ministry said at the time that her backing for Putin's government "creates a serious risk of provocation or incidents that would damage Poland's international position".
The Vienna-based OSCE is a 57-nation body comprising former Cold War foes the U.S. and Russia as well as most countries in Europe, Central Asia and North America. It is designed to prevent and monitor conflicts in Europe.
(Reporting by Anita Komuves in Budapest, additional reporting by Barbara Erling in WarsawEditing by Gareth Jones)