The “miracle” hoped for by the opposition did not take place. Fidesz, the party of Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, came out on top in the legislative elections which were held on Sunday April 3. He won 54.24% of the vote, according to the first partial official results published by the National Electoral Office (NVI) on the basis of nearly 77% of the ballots.
The coalition of six opposition parties is only credited with 33.92% of the vote. At 58, the oldest incumbent leader of the European Union (EU) faced an unprecedented and disparate alliance of six parties, and analysts had predicted a much closer battle.
“Exceptional Victory”
Without further ado, Viktor Orban claimed in the evening a “exceptional victory” in this ballot. “We won (…) a victory so big that you can probably see it from the moon, and certainly from Brussels”said the sovereigntist leader, who often has a contentious relationship with the EU, in a short speech after the publication of the partial results
The ballot was marked by a turnout of 68.7%, a figure close to the record of four years ago. The full official result will only be known during the week, after the counting of hundreds of thousands of votes from voters from the diaspora as well as expatriates. But Viktor Orban, in power since 2010, is heading unhindered for a fourth consecutive term.
His opponent Peter Marki-Zay had still not spoken at 11 p.m. Paris time. By slipping his ballot into the ballot box alongside his family, this 49-year-old conservative mayor had denounced earlier “unfair and impossible conditions” aimed at allowing its rival to “stay in power forever”. And to quote public media at the boot of the government – itself was entitled to only five minutes of air time on public television, in all and for all.
In the opposition coalition, some, such as the vice-president of Jobbik, Marto Gyongyosi, have denounced “irregularities”. The ballot was held for the first time under the supervision of more than 200 international observers. Each camp also deployed thousands of volunteers.
The war in Ukraine changed the situation
Accused by Brussels of multiple attacks on the rule of law, Viktor Orban has muzzled, over twelve years of power, justice and the media, while advocating an ultra-conservative vision of society. castigating “the most corrupt government in the history of Hungary”Peter Marki-Zay had crisscrossed the country in recent weeks, listening to the inhabitants, in the hope of breaking the “propaganda” of the government.
The conflict in neighboring Ukraine has completely changed the situation. “War broke out, and war changed everything”, summarized Mr. Orban on Friday during his only campaign rally. He posed as “a protector” of Hungary, a guarantor of peace and stability, by refusing to deliver arms to Ukraine and to vote on sanctions which would deprive Hungarians of precious Russian oil and gas.
At the same time, on election posters and in the pro-Orban media, Peter Marki-Zay was portrayed as “dangerous”, accused of wanting to rush the country into war because of his strong support for Ukraine. The opponent has in vain underlined the closeness cultivated since 2010 by Mr. Orban with the Russian president, calling him “Hungarian Poutine”his speech was obviously not enough to convince the voters.
Hungarians were also asked to answer four questions in connection with the recent law prohibiting talking to people under 18 “sex reassignment and homosexuality”. Referendum “unhealthy” for the NGOs which had asked voters to“invalidate” their ballots by checking two boxes instead of one. The results are expected later in the evening.