With war in neighboring Ukraine dominating the campaign, the six-party opposition coalition is within walking distance of Orban’s Fidesz party in the polls, making the ballot uncertain for the first time since Orban came to power in 2010. . With turnout rising to 52.75% at 13:00 GMT after a slow start hampered by unusually cold and snow in Budapest, both sides used social media to urge their supporters to go and vote. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register The war has made Orban’s life difficult after a decade of close Hungarian political and business relations with Russia and President Vladimir Putin, but he has retained the lead in the polls. Opposition leader Peter Marki-Zay, a 49-year-old conservative, has called the election a choice between East and West. He says Orban has eroded democratic rights, turning Hungary towards Russia and away from the European Union where he belongs. Marki-Zay, who lined up to vote with his wife and children in Hodmezovasarhely, the southern city where he is mayor, said he hoped the election would “change the course of Hungarian history”. “STRUGGLE FOR DEMOCRACY” “We are fighting for democracy, we are fighting for decency,” Markey-Zei told reporters. “In a difficult battle, in almost impossible circumstances – we can still win,” he said, referring to government control of the public media and changes to electoral rules that critics say favor Fidesz. One of the changes allows Hungarians in neighboring countries the right to vote on party lists by post, as opposed to the hundreds of thousands of Hungarians working abroad who can only vote if they go to embassies or consulates in person. Voting in snowy Budapest with his wife at his side, Orban told reporters he expected a “big win” and presented the ballot as a choice between “peace or war”, again accusing his opponents of trying to drag Hungary in Ukraine. conflict, a charge they deny. Asked repeatedly about his close ties to Putin, Orban, who had previously described relations with Russia as “fair and balanced”, said: “Vladimir Putin is not a candidate in the Hungarian elections, so I do not need to deal with this issue today, fortunately.” “I stand on the basis of Hungarian national interests, I am pro-Hungarian.” A person votes in a polling station during the Hungarian parliamentary elections in Budapest, Hungary, April 3, 2022. REUTERS / Bernadett Szabo
read more The polls were to close at 17:00 GMT with preliminary indications for the result to be expected within a few hours. Orban is ahead of the election Orban, 58, has presented himself as a defender of Hungarian interests by rejecting EU sanctions on Russian oil and gas. However, he has condemned the Russian invasion and has not vetoed any EU sanctions against Moscow, although he has said he does not agree with them. His government has also allowed NATO troops to be deployed in Hungary, where public support for alliance membership has risen to 80% in a 2021 GLOBSEC survey. He backed an EU decision to send weapons to Ukraine, but banned arms shipments from Hungarian territory, saying it could jeopardize security. His tactical game has helped boost support among key Fidesz voters, but has drawn criticism from some allies, including Poland. INFLATION IS CONCERNED In a Budapest constituency, 76-year-old Rudolf Grove criticized Orban’s attempt to position himself between Russia and the European Union, of which Hungary is a member. “Orban has been swaying from side to side for so long that he is now unable to take a clear position on the war.” As the coronavirus pandemic subsides, many Hungarians are now worried about rising consumer prices. Inflation hit a 15-year high of 8.3% in February, even as Orban pushed up retail prices on fuel and staple foods, cut mortgage rates and rallied spending spending to support households. . The opposition coalition, which includes the left-wing Democratic Coalition, the liberal Momentum and the far-right moderate Jobbik parties, has exploited popular discontent, accusing Fidesz of using systemic corruption to enrich businessmen close to the party. After years of conflict with Brussels over media freedom, the rule of law and immigration, Orban’s current campaign is based in part on defending conservative Christian family values ​​against what he calls “gender madness” in Western Europe. In the run-up to the election, Hungarians voted in a referendum on sex-oriented workshops in schools – a vote that rights groups say fuels prejudice against LGBTQ people. read more Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Krisztina Than? Additional report by Krisztina Fenyo. Editing by Hugh Lawson, Kirsten Donovan and Kevin Liffey Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.