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fter 16 years in power in Hungary, Viktor Orban is set to face an extremely challenging legislative election on Sunday, April 12. At 62, the nationalist prime minister has fallen behind in the polls to his conservative and pro-European rival, Péter Magyar, 45 years old. Having worked for years in Europe to sideline traditional parties and boost his far-right allies, Orban himself has now been overtaken by a sense of fatigue among Hungarians.
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Pre-election Hungary's mood is one of twilight for Orban's rule
This discontent first arose from inflation of more than 40% since 2022 and a sluggish economy, hit both by the suspension of €18 billion in European Union funds and by endemic corruption that frightened off foreign investors and discouraged Hungarian entrepreneurship. Having already lost the support of liberal voters in Budapest, Orban has also alienated small business owners and middle-class professionals, who long formed the core of the electorate for Fidesz, his party.
