Corruption scandals and a surging opposition have turned the vote into the biggest test yet for the long-serving populist leader
The drone footage showed a sprawling residence in northern Hungary, complete with manicured gardens, a swimming pool and an underground garage. But it was what came next that captured much of the country’s imagination: zebras darting across the countryside.
The property caught on camera belongs to the father of the country’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, offering a glimpse of the staggering wealth amassed by his inner circle, even as most in Hungary have become poorer. References to the zebras – which came from a neighbouring property belonging to Orbán’s best friend and Hungary’s richest man, Lőrinc Mészáros – soon began turning up across the country; plush toys were sold at protests, people posted videos of their own treks to spot the animals, and photos of zebras were plastered over government billboards.
“They became a symbol of the limitless corruption of the whole system,” said Ákos Hadházy, a Hungarian independent MP who last autumn organised a series of “safari tours” to the area in protest.
Those protests were just one part of a swelling opposition movement that has left Orbán facing the prospect of being ousted after 16 years in power.
