Hungarians vote on Orban’s 12-year rule in ballot overshadowed by Ukraine

BUDAPEST, April 3 (Reuters) – The odds were slightly in favour of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, extending his 12-year rule in an election on Sunday where his close ties with Moscow have come under scrutiny.

With the war in neighbouring Ukraine dominating the campaign, the six-party opposition alliance has been within striking distance of Orban’s Fidesz party in the polls, making the outcome of the ballot uncertain for the first time since Orban swept to power in 2010.

With turnout rising to 52.75% by 1300 GMT after a slow start hampered by unseasonably cold weather and snow in Budapest, both sides took to social media to urge their supporters to go and vote.

The war has made life awkward for Orban after more than a decade of close Hungarian political and business relations with Russia and President Vladimir Putin, but he has retained a lead in opinion polls.

The leader of the opposition, 49-year-old conservative Peter Marki-Zay, has framed the election as a choice between East and West. He says Orban has eroded democratic rights, turning Hungary towards Russia and away from the European Union where it belongs.

Marki-Zay, who queued to vote with his wife and children in Hodmezovasarhely, the southern town where he is mayor, said he hoped the election would “change the course of Hungarian history”.

‘FIGHTING FOR DEMOCRACY’

“We are fighting for democracy, we are fighting for decency,” Marki-Zay told reporters. “In an uphill battle, in almost impossible circumstances – we can still win,” he said, referring to government control over public media and changes in election rules that critics say favour Fidesz.

One of the changes allows ethnic Hungarians in neighbouring countries the right to vote on party lists by post, unlike hundreds of thousands of Hungarians working abroad who can only vote by going in person to embassies or consulates.

Orban, casting his vote in snowy Budapest with his wife by his side, told reporters he expected a “great victory” and portrayed the ballot as a choice between “peace or war”, accusing his opponents again of trying to drag Hungary into the Ukraine conflict, a charge they deny.

When asked repeatedly about his close ties with Putin, Orban, who had earlier described relations with Russia as fair and balanced, said:

“Vladimir Putin is not running in the Hungarian elections therefore I do not have to deal with this question today, luckily.”

“I am standing on the basis of Hungarian national interests, I am pro-Hungarian.”

Polls were due to close at 1700 GMT with preliminary indications of the outcome expected within a few hours.

Orban, 58, has portrayed himself as a defender of Hungarian interests by rejecting EU sanctions on Russian oil and gas.

He has, however, condemned the Russian invasion and has not vetoed any EU sanctions against Moscow, even though he said he did not agree with them. His government has also allowed NATO troops to be deployed in Hungary, where public support for membership of the alliance stood at 80% in a 2021 GLOBSEC survey.

He supported an EU decision to send arms to Ukraine but has banned weapons shipments from Hungarian territory, saying this could pose a security risk. His tactical gambit has helped cement his support among core Fidesz voters, but has led to criticism from some allies, including Poland.

INFLATION WORRIES

In a Budapest constituency, 76-year-old Rudolf Groo criticised Orban’s attempt to position himself between Russia and the European Union, of which Hungary is a member.

“Orban has been swinging from this side to the other so long that now he is unable to take a clear stand on the war.”

With the coronavirus pandemic ebbing, many Hungarians are now troubled by surging consumer prices.

Inflation stood at an almost-15-year high of 8.3% in February, even as Orban imposed retail price caps on fuel and basic foodstuffs, capped mortgage rates, and carried out a pre-election spending spree to support households.

The opposition alliance, which includes the leftist Democratic Coalition, the liberal Momentum and the far-right-turned-moderate Jobbik parties, has tapped into popular discontent, accusing Fidesz of using systemic corruption to enrich businesspeople close to the party.

After years of clashes with Brussels over media freedoms, the rule of law and immigration, Orban’s current campaign is based partly on defending conservative Christian family values against what he calls “gender madness” in Western Europe.

Alongside the election, Hungarians were voting in a referendum on sexual orientation workshops in schools – a vote that rights groups say fuels prejudice against LGBTQ people. read more

Reporting by Krisztina Than; Additional reporting by Krisztina Fenyo; Editing by Hugh Lawson, Kirsten Donovan and Kevin Liffey

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