László Csizmadia

László Csizmadia founded the Civil Összefogás Fórum (CÖF) and chairs the board of its charitable arm, CÖKA, the organization behind the pro-government mass rallies known as the Peace Marches. In 2017 it emerged that the state-owned utility MVM had given CÖKA 508 million forints in 2016; Csizmadia said the money went toward a 'civic mission,' including campaigns promoting personal income-tax donations, but MVM refused to disclose the sponsorship's precise terms even in response to a data-protection request. The organization had previously received funding from Fidesz's own party foundation (40 million forints in 2012, 20 million in 2013). In April 2021 Csizmadia requested and received a further 25.4-million-forint (gross) sponsorship from the Hungarian Development Bank (MFB), approved unanimously by its board within a day, under terms that allowed expenses incurred up to 30 days before the contract was even signed to be claimed. The pattern - opaque support from state companies and a state development bank flowing to a self-styled independent civic organization - is a textbook case of how Hungary's government-aligned civil sector is publicly financed.