Hungary election campaigns enter final stretch as Orbán fights to remain in power – Europe live
Key events6m agoMagyar voters are hopeful for change, but despite optimism he is seen as far from perfect candidate8m agoMorning opening: Helló Budapestről!Show key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use...
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Magyar voters are hopeful for change, but despite optimism he is seen as far from perfect candidate
Flora Garamvolgyi
in Budapest
We talked to a few Budapest residents this morning in the city centre at Jászai Mari Square.
Most of them were rushing to work, but still stopped to chat with us about the upcoming vote on Sunday, which seems to creep into every single conversation here lately – as they say, even at family dinners.
Some of them were not that keen on sharing the exact party they are going to vote for but every single one of them had strong opinions about the two main candidates: Hungary’s far-right prime minister Viktor Orbán, who has been in power for 16 years and Péter Magyar, a young(ish) centre-right figure who emerged from Fidesz circles and turned against the party a year ago.
Talking to people, we got the sense that despite Magyar leading the polls, he is not necessarily seen as the “perfect candidate,” but rather a protest vote against Orbán.
People who are planning to vote for him are hopeful about the vote on Sunday and predict a clear win for Magyar, who has the highest chance so far to put an end to Orban’s reign.
But we also met a surprisingly high number of Fidesz supporters in the capital who resonated with the ruling party’s message: Sunday is about choosing “between war and peace”. One Fidesz voter called the opposition candidate a “narcissist”; others said they are satisfied with how Orbán supports ethnic Hungarians in the neighbouring countries.
Morning opening: Helló Budapestről!
Jakub Krupa
in Budapest
Helló Budapestről!
Or, to those of you inexplicably less fluent in Hungarian: hello from Budapest!
It’s a beautiful if slightly chilly morning here in the Hungarian capital as we enter the final hours of the campaign before this Sunday’s parliamentary vote that could see the end of Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power.
When you look at the polls, they are a bit all over the place – particularly depending on their, erm, affiliation and proximity to the ruling party – but all independent pollsters appear to suggest that Péter Magyar’s Tisza party is on course for victory on Sunday.
But there is plenty time before then, with a number of voters still undecided or not sure if they are even going to vote, despite the expected record turnout.
In his last rallies, Magyar warned his supporters against complacency, stressing the need to fight for every single vote and to get everyone to come out on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Orbán argued that “no election is decided until the people decide it,” and insisted he still expected a victory on Sunday.
Let’s see how it goes.
We will be bringing you updates from Budapest and beyond to get you a sense of what is the feeling on the ground in Hungary.
It’s Friday, 10 April 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.
Good morning.
