Prime Minister Viktor Orban is facing the most serious threat to his power in decades
Voting has ended in Hungary and the first results are coming in. Opposition leader Peter Magyar’s Tisza party has taken an early lead, with 49% of the vote to 42% for Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Fidesz party. Tisza’s performance is strongest in urban constituencies, including Budapest, Szeged, and Pecs.
Magyar wrote off reports that he was planning riots as “scare stories and lies.” Earlier in the day, a former Tisza party adviser released a document alleging that Magyar’s EU backers were urging him to declare victory prematurely, and start street-level violence modeled on the 2014 Maidan coup in Ukraine if the result doesn’t go his way.
Magyar has dominated pre-election polling, after campaigning on corruption, public services, and restoring ties with the EU. The vote will determine not only who will govern Hungary, but also how far Budapest resists policy proposals coming from Brussels.
Orban has spent years frustrating the EU with his stance on Russia, sanctions, and military support for Ukraine, making this election a closely watched test for Brussels as well as for Orban’s allies on the international right. Ukraine is also watching – and allegedly interfering in – the vote, as Orban is currently vetoing the EU’s planned €90 billion loan package for Kiev.
Data from Hungary’s National Election Office showed a record turnout of 77.8%, the highest in any election in Hungarian history.
Independent polling summarized by AP suggests Tisza entered election day with momentum, though the race is still expected to be tight because of Fidesz’s entrenched rural support and the advantages Orban enjoys from incumbency and Hungary’s electoral system.
Casting his ballot, Orban told reporters he is “here to win,” while Magyar insisted “no one can seriously think that Tisza, and thus Hungary, will not win the election.”
Follow our live coverage below for continuous updates.
Like
0
Dislike
0
Love
0
Funny
0
Angry
0
Sad
0
Wow
0
