Record turnout in Hungary election as polls suggest Orbán could lose power after 16 years
Viktor Orbán and his nationalist Fidesz party are facing their toughest test yet as he bids for a fifth consecutive term. Defeat would carry consequences beyond Hungary - for the EU, for Ukraine, and for Europe's far right.
Voting has closed in Hungary’s national election, with final opinion polls suggesting the opposition Tisza party could oust Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power.
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Orbán, the European Union’s longest-serving leader, is widely seen as a nationalist ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has the backing of Donald Trump.
Polls opened at 6 am and closed at 7 pm with initial results expected Sunday night.
Turnout hit 77% according to the Election Committee, a record for Hungary’s post-communist period.
Two surveys, conducted before voting started and published after polling stations closed on Sunday, showed the centre-right Tisza party of Peter Magyar garnering 55-57% support, ahead of Orban's nationalist Fidesz party.
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There are no exit polls for Sunday's election, but similar last-minute surveys, conducted before an election and only published after voting ends, have proven accurate in the past.
If confirmed by official results due later on Sunday, it could end Hungary's adversarial role inside the European Union, opening the way for a 90-billion-euro ($105 billion) EU loan to Ukraine that Orban had blocked.
It would also deprive Moscow of its main ally in the EU and send shockwaves through right-wing circles across the West, including Trump's White House.
