Opposition leader Peter Magyar casting his vote in Budapest.Image: keystone
In Hungary there are many signs that the race will be close. The electoral system tailored to his needs speaks in favor of the long-time head of government. But the opposition also has a trump card.
April 12, 2026, 5:45 p.mApril 12, 2026, 5:45 p.m
Paul Flückiger, Budapest / ch media
As soon as Viktor Orban got out of the car, he was surrounded by media representatives and bombarded with questions. She had heard that Brussels did not want to recognize his election victory and whether that was true, a presumably Russian journalist asked several times in English, suggestively. “The EU must recognize the will of the Hungarians,” replied Orban, adding: “I am here to win!”
The somewhat pale-looking 62-year-old, pro-Russian long-term prime minister walked into the polling station on the outskirts of Budapest, which was apparently completely empty. He showed his ID card, signed the voter register and received two ballot papers stamped in front of him.
One applies to the single-constituency mandates, with which the majority of the 199 parliamentary seats are allocated, namely 106 seats, which clearly favors Orban’s national-conservative Fidesz party, which has been in power for 16 years. The second ballot paper is intended for the 93 seats allocated via party lists. Five parties are up for election here. But only three have a chance of clearing the five percent hurdle.
In addition to Fidesz and Peter Magyar’s opposition Tisza party, the ultra-right party “Mi Hazank” (German: “Our Homeland”) is also included. According to surveys, it could get up to 6 percent of the vote and Fidesz could serve as a majority gainer if Orban’s party loses too many percentages of the vote due to the omnipresent economic crisis.
So far, “Mi Hazank” has served Orban and also Magyar. The latter rules out collaboration with this ultra-right formation. Orban did not make himself clear. The head of government still hopes for a solo victory.
This is where Viktor Orbán intervenes – the long-term head of government is confident of victory.Image: keystone
All parties except Orban’s Fidesz are helped by the high voter turnout. On Sunday evening it was massively higher than during Orban’s fifth re-election in 2022. By midday, a record 66 percent of eligible voters had already cast their votes – more than ever since the end of communism. This mobilization led opposition leader Peter Magyar to optimistically spread his fingers in the “Victory” sign after casting his vote in Budapest.
Against corruption and lack of democracy
Once again, the Magyar, denigrated by Orban as an agent of Brussels and Kiev, consistently refused to appear in the numerous foreign press: “I will answer your questions after today’s election day,” promised the tense-looking, 45-year-old lawyer in fluent English. In a short speech, Magyar railed against the corruption surrounding Orban and the lack of democracy. Hungary should be closely linked to the EU again.
An average of all polls gave Magyar’s conservative Tisza party a five percent lead over Orban’s Fidesz. But the electoral system has been changed by Orban in several steps since 2010 so that this lead in party list votes would not be enough to force Fidesz from power. The electoral system is also so complicated that even well-informed Hungarian voters can hardly understand it. There will therefore probably only be reliable election results this Monday; Only trend reports are likely to be known until the morning.
This unclear situation fueled speculation about riots. On the sidelines of Orban’s last election campaign appearance at Budapest Castle on Saturday evening, groups of men dressed in black were noticed, shouting particularly frenetically “Viktor, Viktor!” shouted and signaled aggression through their appearance.
«Why think about violence right away? We are all peaceful Christians who simply continue to want Orban because he is good for Hungary,” said a neatly dressed pensioner in conversation after Orban’s hoarse, croaking appearance. The 70-year-old is convinced that Orban is only playing with Vladimir Putin to get cheap gas and oil, but is not a friend of Russia. “We have not forgotten the Soviet invasion of 1956 and have not forgiven these crimes,” explains the lady, “but Putin’s Russia is not the Soviet Union.”
A simpler picture is presented by one of the men dressed in black next to a large Hungarian flag. “I’m supporting Fidesz because I want things to stay as good in Hungary in the future as they are today,” says the 40-year-old man in Russian, albeit with an accent. (aargauerzeitung.ch)