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Parliamentary Election in Hungary: What’s at Stake?

The Hungarian election taking place this Sunday is of major significance for the EU as a whole.

Kyiv Post

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April 11th, 2026

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The Hungarian election taking place this Sunday is of major significance for the EU as a whole. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, whose 16-year rule has become increasingly authoritarian, based the election campaign of his Fidesz party on hostility towards Brussels and Kyiv, and has received backing from both Washington and Moscow. In the polls, however, he is trailing behind opposition candidate Péter Magyar and his Tisza party.

Decision rests with ten million Europeans

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El Periódico de Catalunya highlights the significance of the vote:

“This year’s election in Hungary will be the most important election in Europe. ... It may sound exaggerated, but the fact that Vance flew infrom Washington at a critical phase of the Iran war is highly significant. ... These days, we’re all deeply worried about the outcome of the war in Iran. And about what Netanyahu will do in Lebanon. The Hungarians are just ten million out of 450 million Europeans, but on Sunday evening all European capitals will have their eyes on Budapest.”

Sham democracy

Cumhuriyet describes the Hungarian Prime Minister as a role model for autocrats:

“For 16 years, Orbán has been demonstrating how to destroy a capitalist democracy from within. He filled the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Judicial Council with his minions, abolished the independence of the judiciary and brought 80 percent of the media under his party’s control. Because he didn’t want to give up the word ‘democracy’, ‘fascism as a process’ was renamed ‘illiberal democracy’. Now, for the first time, Orbán faces the possibility of losing an election. The Hungarian election is a canary in the coal mine for other ‘strongmen’: is it possible to remain in power whilst clinging to the pretence of free elections?”

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The patriots must win

According to the pro-government daily Magyar Nemzet, Hungary and Europe’s very survival depends on Fidesz winning:

“Parliamentary elections are generally not a historic turning point. ... This weekend’s election, however, is precisely that. Should the globalist agenda prevail, should Brussels’ puppet take the prime minister’s seat, Hungary’s continued existence as a Hungarian nation will be called into question. Not to mention the danger of being dragged into war. Furthermore, at the continental level it is crucial to achieve a patriotic victory in order to increase the chances of ousting the self-destructive Brussels elite.”

Brussels should lend a helping hand

Brussels needs to launch a programme to help struggling democracies get back on their feet, Delo suggests:

“Developments in Poland - and potentially in Hungary after Orbán - show that an institutional framework for promoting democratic regeneration in the wake of authoritarian rule is desperately needed. A framework like this, which would oblige EU institutions to accompany this process with judicial, financial and political instruments, is long overdue and would help democratically-oriented governments to avoid the institutional pitfalls left behind by outgoing regimes.”

Magyar is no liberal

Political extremism expert Cas Mudde warns in the Guardian against expecting too much from the opposition candidate and his party:

“The leader of the opposition comes from a conservative family and was a member of Fidesz for more than two decades – he spent years working for the Orbán regime and is clearly ideologically aligned with his former party. ... Tisza’s party programme also vows to reject the EU’s migrant pact and quotas and to oppose Ukraine’s accelerated accession to the EU. So even though Tisza will undoubtedly be a more constructive force in its relations with European partners, some fundamental disagreements will remain.”

What if Orbán wins?

The Moscow Times wonders whether the EU would recognise an electoral win by Orbán:

“What will the EU do if it comes to election fraud and manipulation in Hungary? Russian electoral strategists have not travelled to Hungary for no reason! ... Will it be compelled to recognise a victory of the Orbán regime? A regime that openly works to sabotage the EU, despite receiving substantial funding from it, and which supports powers that are out to destroy the EU. Including one that is very likely preparing to destroy the EU with military means. The interests of the great powers all come together in the Hungarian elections and the consequences will be felt across the entire EU.”