FLASH
Shkruar nga PamfletiThe turnout remains overwhelming, Hungarian media report, with more than 54 percent of voters having gone to the polls by 1 p.m. Orbán is the most pro-Russian leader in the EU, and his loss would be a significant blow to Putin, Trump, and the international populist movement.
Hungarians vote today in parliamentary elections that could end Viktor Orban's 16-year rule in Hungary or keep him in power for a fifth term, the most significant since the country's transition to democracy in 1989.
Voting centers opened at 06:00 local time and are expected to close at 19:00 local time.
The country's roughly 8 million voters, as well as more than 500,000 others registered abroad, have the opportunity to choose between five parties, with a mixed majority system in place that heavily favors Orban's ruling Fidesz party.
Institutes close to the outgoing prime minister predict a victory for the Fidesz-KDNP coalition. However, signs of nervousness were visible within Fidesz, which has the support of US President Donald Trump.
After 16 years in power, Europe's longest-serving leader, Viktor Orbán, is seeking re-election in a de facto vote on Hungary's future direction: toward European-style liberal democracy or closer ties with Russia.
Orbán is the most pro-Russian leader in the EU, and his loss would be a significant blow to Putin, Trump, and the international populist movement.
The opposition leader, Péter Magyar, has built his campaign on promises to restore Hungary's western orientation towards the EU and NATO.
Entering the final week of the election, most opinion polls place Hungary and his opposition Tisza party ahead of Orbán's Fidesz party.
Entering the final hours of the election, most opinion polls place Magyar and his opposition Tisza party ahead of Orbán's Fidesz party.
But JD Vance's trip to Budapest this week, offering Orbán's campaign a last-minute boost from the Trump administration, could be enough to turn the tide of events in Fidesz's favor.
Hungarians vote in mass referendum, hope for change
It is increasingly certain that the turnout record will be broken, as by 1:00 p.m., 54.14 percent of eligible voters had cast their ballots in the parliamentary elections, more than the number who cast their ballots by 3:00 p.m. in 2022 (52.75), although the turnout was still above 70 percent, Hungarian media wrote.
By 11:00, 38% of voters had cast their ballots, including Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his challenger, Peter Magyar.
This is significantly more than the previous record set in 2002, the last time Fidesz lost.
The high turnout reflects the high importance of the election to voters. This is especially true for those hoping for change after 16 years under Orban, who are feeling tense after months of relentless campaigning.
David, a 35-year-old software developer and musician living in Budapest, told DW that "I will cry either way. Tears of joy if things change, or tears of sadness if this system remains."
Viktor Orban's Fidesz party has also tried to mobilize its voters, with the prime minister holding a closing campaign rally in Budapest on Saturday, traditionally an opposition stronghold.
People at the event expressed hope that Orban would win and did not want to give too much importance to polls that had shown a strong opposition lead for months.
"The silent majority will come out and vote for Fidesz," one participant told DW.
Viktor Orbán, after casting his vote, said that Fidesz (his party) would have to suffer a major defeat to resign as party leader.
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