Shock as Orbán allies take ownership of Hungary’s most-read newspaper

The purchase of the tabloid comes less than six months before a general election, in which Viktor Orbán faces an unprecedented opposition challenge. Photograph: Bernadett Szabó/Reuters

Journalists at Hungary’s most-read newspaper have expressed shock after a media group seen as close to nationalist prime minister Viktor Orbán’s party, Fidesz, bought the tabloid from its previous Swiss owners.

The purchase, which comes as Hungary gears up for crucial elections next year in which Orbán faces an unprecedented opposition challenge, is widely seen as another attempt to increase government influence on the media.