BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Voters began voting in Hungary on Sunday morning to choose their representatives for the European Parliament in an election that many consider a referendum on the popularity of Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
This comes amid fears that right-wing populists like Orbán could make significant gains that could undermine the ability of the world’s largest trading bloc to make decisions as the war intensifies in Ukraine and anti-migrant sentiment rises.
Orban expressed hope that parties across Europe that oppose providing military support to Ukraine would win a majority in the EU legislature.
Hungary is due to take over the rotating six-month EU presidency in July.
The five-time prime minister voted at around 9 a.m. local time in the capital Budapest, telling reporters that the election results would decide whether Russia’s war in Ukraine would engulf Europe.
“Today we have to win these elections in Europe. These are the first European elections in my life in which I see that there is a theme that crosses almost all member states”, he said, referring to the role that EU countries have played since Russia began its military operation against Ukraine in 2022.
“We will interpret the election results tonight as the people of Europe expressing an opinion about war and peace.”
Orbán’s Fidesz party is expected to win a large number of votes, after campaigning heavily due to fears that the war in neighboring Ukraine could escalate and directly involve Hungary.
He blamed “pro-war” politicians in Washington and Brussels for rising tensions with Russia and portrayed his refusal to provide military aid to Kiev and other supports such as a unique “pro-peace” position in Europe.
Antal Zámbó, a 75-year-old retiree from Budapest who voted on Sunday morning, said he supported Orbán and Fidesz because he believed they would provide “a more peaceful life.”
“Everyone benefits if there is peace in their surroundings as well as on the global stage,” he said.
Although Fidesz has dominated Hungarian politics since 2010, many are deeply dissatisfied with what is happening in the country following economic difficulties and a scandal that have rocked the party that prides itself on defending family values and Christian conservatism. Some believe this could lead voters to support one of the most formidable opponents Orbán has ever faced, Péter Magyar.
Magyar broke with Orbán’s party in February and within a matter of months, built the strongest opposition party in Hungary. He hopes to use his strong showing in Sunday’s elections to boost himself and his movement to challenge and defeat the prime minister in the next national vote scheduled for 2026.
The 43-year-old lawyer’s message that widespread corruption in Orbán’s government and his policies have incited deep social divisions has resonated with many Hungarians who want change. On Saturday, he mobilized tens of thousands of protesters in Budapest, in a final appeal for support for his Respect and Freedom party (TISZA).
When voting in Budapest on Sunday, Magyar said Hungarian voters “will send a strong message to Viktor Orbán.”
“They are fed up with the corruption, the lies and the propaganda,” Magyar said.
A TISZA supporter, Gyula Német, 71, said after voting that Orbán’s government over the past 14 years “has not only proven them to be incompetent, but has also totally divided this country.”
“Hungary has been left aside in Europe. We have become completely segregated,” he said. “This cannot continue. We definitely need positive change, integration with Europe and among the Hungarian people.”
