Hungarians are heading to the polls in a vote that could unseat longtime Prime Minister Viktor Orban and have significant consequences for the rest of Europe, the US and Russia. BBC.
Most polls favor Péter Magyar, who formed a grassroots party after splitting from the ruling Fidesz party, but on the night before the vote Orbán was in a defiant mood.
"We will achieve such a victory that it will surprise everyone, perhaps even ourselves," he told several thousand supporters in a small square on Castle Hill in Budapest.
Voting runs until 19:00 p.m. (17:00 GMT) and results will begin to emerge during the evening.
Orbán raised tensions ahead of the vote, claiming that the opposition “will stop at nothing to seize power,” and Hungarians responded by calling on voters not to succumb to “Fidesz’s pressure and blackmail.”
After 16 years of Orbán leading Hungary under what the European Parliament called a “hybrid regime of electoral autocracy,” the Hungarian and his Tisza party are promising “regime change,” a reset of relations with the European Union, and an end to close ties with Russia.
He attracted far more people to his recent rally in the second largest city, Debrecen, than Orbán did in Budapest.
But Orbán remains highly regarded by US President Donald Trump, who has called on Hungarians to "go out and vote" for his true "friend, fighter and WINNER".
Addressing supporters on Saturday evening, the Fidesz leader stuck to his campaign's main themes, taking aim at Brussels and Ukraine. "We don't give them our children, we don't give them our weapons and we don't give them our money," he said.
His message resonated with the crowd, who chanted "we will not let this happen."
One supporter, Johanna, said she supports his policies on protecting the family and especially on the war in Ukraine.
He has tried to be a winner four times in a row, but a fifth consecutive victory may be beyond his reach.
The economy is struggling and he has been hit by a series of scandals, including revelations that Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó regularly spoke with his Russian counterpart before and after European Union summits, which he has admitted to.
Hungary is not only in the EU, it is also in NATO, but Orbán has vetoed €90 billion (£78 billion) in aid for Ukraine, angering his European partners./KosovaPress
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