Parliamentary elections have started in Hungary — fateful for all of Europe

Viktor Orbán. Photo: AP Photo / Denes Erdos

In Hungary, fateful voting has begun in the parliamentary elections, which promise to be the toughest test for Viktor Orbán in the last decade and a half.

While the ruling party "Fidesz" frightens voters with "being drawn into war" and provocations from Kyiv, independent sociologists predict a sensational victory for the opposition movement "Tisza".

Amidst loud scandals about Budapest's secret agreements with the Kremlin, the country is choosing between a proven course of isolationism and a new alternative from a former associate of the prime minister, who promises to return Hungary to the mainstream of pan-European politics.

On Sunday, April 12, 2026, at 7 AM Minsk time, voting began in Hungary's parliamentary elections, which could become a turning point in the country's recent history.

The main struggle unfolds between Viktor Orbán's "Fidesz" party, which has led the government since 2010, and the opposition force "Tisza" led by Péter Magyar. Although five parties are participating in the elections, according to experts, there are "two real contenders".

Independent sociological surveys provide optimistic forecasts for the opposition, predicting a "confident victory" for it, while pro-government centers insist on the incumbent prime minister retaining the majority.

Viktor Orbán's election campaign was built on rhetoric of fear surrounding the war in Ukraine. "Fidesz" used images of Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Ursula von der Leyen on its campaign posters with alarming captions, accusing Kyiv and Brussels of attempting to draw Budapest into the conflict. Even US Vice President J.D. Vance came to support Orbán, praising him for "successfully resolving the war between Russia and Ukraine" and accusing the European Union of interfering in the electoral process.

Péter Magyar, who himself only left the ranks of the ruling party in 2024, in turn chose a different tactic. He consciously avoids the topic of war, having taken into account "the lessons of other opposition parties that lost to "Fidesz" in the past".

Simultaneously, the final stages of the race were accompanied by loud journalistic investigations into the shadow ties between the Hungarian leadership and the Kremlin. Media published data according to which Szijjártó, as early as summer 2025, discussed the lifting of sanctions for Russian oligarchs with Sergey Lavrov, and Orbán himself, in a conversation with Vladimir Putin in October, declared his "readiness to help in any way".

The results of the vote, which will determine the fate of 199 parliamentary mandates, must be officially counted no later than Saturday, April 18.

• 0
• 0
• 0
• 1
• 1
• 1
• 0
• 0