Voters began casting their ballots in Hungary early Sunday to choose their representatives for the European Parliament in an election many see as a referendum on Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's popularity.
This comes amid fears that right-wing populists like Orbán are likely to make significant gains which could undermine the ability of the world’s biggest trading bloc to make decisions as war rages in Ukraine and anti-migrant sentiment mounts.
Orban had expressed hopes that parties across Europe that oppose providing military support to Ukraine would gain a majority in the EU legislature.
Hungary is set to take over the EU’s rotating six-month presidency in July.
The five-time prime minister cast his ballot around 9 a.m. local time in the capital, Budapest, telling reporters the results of the elections would decide whether Russia’s war in Ukraine would engulf Europe.
“Today we must win this election in Europe. It is the first European election in my life where I see there is a theme that runs through almost all the member states,” he said, in reference to the role EU countries have been playing since Russia started 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 governing Fidesz party is expected to win a large number of votes after campaigning heavily on fears that the war in neighboring Ukraine could escalate to involve Hungary directly.
He has blamed “pro-war” politicians in Washington and Brussels for increasing tensions with Russia and portrayed his refusal to supply Kyiv with military aid and other support as a “pro-peace” position unique in Europe.
Antal Zámbó, a 75-year-old retiree in Budapest who cast his vote Sunday morning, said he supported Orbán and Fidesz as he believed they would deliver “a more peaceful life.”
“Everyone benefits if there is peace in their surroundings as well as on the global stage,” he said.
While Fidesz has dominated Hungarian politics since 2010, many are deeply dissatisfied with what's happening in the country, following economic hardship and a scandal that rocked the party which prides itself on upholding family values and Christian conservatism. Some believe this may prompt voters to support one of the most formidable challengers Orbán has ever faced, Péter Magyar.
Magyar broke ranks with Orbán's party in February and in a matter of months has built up Hungary’s strongest opposition party. He hopes to use a good showing in Sunday’s elections to propel himself and his movement to challenge and defeat the prime minister in the next national ballot scheduled for 2026.
The 43-year-old lawyer's message that widespread corruption in Orbán's government and its policies that incited deep social divisions has resonated with many Hungarians who desire change. On Saturday, he mobilized tens of thousands of demonstrators in Budapest in a final appeal for support for his Respect and Freedom (TISZA) party.
As he cast his vote in Budapest on Sunday, Magyar said Hungarian voters “will send a strong message to Viktor Orbán.”
“They are fed up with the corruption, with the lies and with the propaganda,” Magyar said.
One TISZA supporter, Gyula Német, 71, said after casting his vote that Orbán's rule in the last 14 years has "not only proved that they are incompetent, but they totally divided this country.”
“Hungary has been pushed to the sidelines in Europe. We became totally segregated," he said. “This cannot go on. We definitely need a positive change, integration with Europe and among the Hungarian people.”
