It's a tight race, which is why this matters. But perhaps Orban's party can rally around online censorship from foreign Big Tech companies.

The affected publications belong to the pro-government media conglomerate Mediaworks. Together, the pages reportedly commanded hundreds of thousands of followers.

The timing is more than suspicious: Hungary will hold parliamentary elections on April 12, in a contest framed by conservative Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as a choice between national sovereignty and deeper integration with Brussels.

His governing Fidesz party is locked in a tight race with the opposition Tisza Party, which belongs to the Europhile European People’s Party.

Facebook’s actions resemble a co-ordinated move against right-wing media. The suspensions could influence the online information landscape during a critical phase of the campaign.