Hungary election campaigns enter final stretch as Orbán fights to remain in power – Europe live

in Hatvan

On the margins of Magyar’s rally, I managed to briefly chat with some of his supporters.

Xenia – who didn’t want to give her second name – told me she “really hope there will be some change in Hungary, because we really need it.”

“After 16 years, there is [finally] some hope, at least for now,” she said.

Asked about Magyar, she said:

“I don’t know what’s so special about him, but we tried to change the regime four years [ago], but the candidate wasn’t strong enough.

He [Magyar] can attract many [more] people around him, … and whatever happens, we have to try.

I don’t know if it’s going to work out or not [with Magyar], but this is the first chance that we actually have to change something, and it would be foolish not to try.”

Ashifa Kassam and Flora Garamvolgyi in Budapest

As a child growing up in Budapest, Péter Magyar had a poster of Viktor Orbán – at the time a leading figure in the country’s pro-democracy movement – hanging above his bed.

Orbán was one of several political figures that adorned his bedroom, Magyar told a podcast last year, hinting at his excitement over the changes sweeping the country after the collapse of communism.

Now Magyar, 45, is the driving force behind what could be another momentous political change in Hungary: the ousting of Orbán, whose 16 years in power has transformed the country into a “petri dish for illiberalism”.

Conversations with those who know Magyar often alternate between admiration and antipathy. Many praise the tremendous movement he has built and the discipline he has shown as he crisscrosses the country, giving up to six speeches a day, while also describing him as someone with a short temper and a style that can be abrasive at times.

Others see him as the perfect fit for the magnitude of the moment. “I think, like all politicians, he can be a difficult person,” said Tamás Topolánszky, a film-maker who was part of a team that spent the past 18 months following Magyar for a film on the wider change sweeping Hungarian society.

Topolánszky described Magyar as authentic and passionate, but also someone who could be impatient at times. “I think that this is something that we Hungarians now see was necessary to get us to this point.”

in Hatvan

Off the Intercity train and after a quick ride on an e-scooter, I am at Kossuth square in Hatvan – a town with some 20,000 residents, 60 kilometers east of Budapest - where maybe a couple of hundreds of supporters await Tisza leader Péter Magyar on the penultimate day of the campaign.

There’s plenty of Fidesz posters on lamp-posts, but Tisza supporters aren’t exactly shy to make their views clear either.

One shop with household items even put out a pretty direct call to vote saying: Magyar – Europe; Orbán – Russia.

Magyar is expected in under 15 minutes and the crowd grows with every minute.

Meanwhile, Viktor Orbán also issued a rallying cry to his supporters, lauding the achievements of his government over the last 16 years and warning them that a change of government would “threaten all we built together.”

In a Facebook video – which he trailed last night as particularly important – he repeated his usual allegations of interference and collusion with some foreign security services, claiming there was “an organised attempt to question the decision of the Hungarian people.”

“This is not the time for division, anger or hatred. Hungary needs cooperation, unity and security,” he argued.

But in perhaps a hint of vulnerability, he also directly asked voters to speak with “families, friends, and acquaintances” to tell them that “the stakes are high and change is dangerous.”

moving on Intercity 564 Tokaj train

One of the striking features of this campaign is how much Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy features on Fidesz’s attack posters, alleging his association with the opposition’s Magyar and urging voters to “stop them”.

Okay, that picture isn’t great, so here’s a better shot:

They are plastered all over Budapest, and even en route to Hatvan now, I have seen just as many of them as those showing Viktor Orbán.

Ukraine has been a massive talking point throughout the campaign, with Orbán repeatedly using it to position himself as “the peace candidate,” ready to stop some alleged EU-Ukraine conspiracy to draw Hungary into conflict with Russia.

My colleague Ashifa Kassam, who is also in Budapest for the election, explained it well here – and this rhetoric has only got stronger since then.

moving on Intercity 564 Tokaj train

Meanwhile, I have jumped on the Intercity Tokaj train to Hatvan, where the opposition leader Péter Magyar is expected around 1pm local time.

In 2022, Zsolt Szabó, the candidate from Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party won here decisively with over 50% of the vote, so it’s not exactly a naturally friendly ground for the opposition forces.

But in recent days, his rallies gathered some impressive numbers, so it will be interesting what sort of reception he gets today.

As we get closer to the vote, his campaign moves eastwards towards Debrecen, Hungary’s second largest city, where he is due to finish campaign tomorrow evening.

in Brussels

The European Commission is being urged to investigate whether Hungary’s elections are being undermined by Russian manipulation, intimidation of journalists and voter coercion by the ruling party.

Three days before decisive parliamentary elections that threaten the 16-year grip on power of the prime minister, Viktor Orbán, a group of MEPs have written to the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, and the commissioner responsible for the rule of law, Michael McGrath, calling for action.

The cross-party group want an urgent assessment “before and immediately after” polling day on whether the conditions for free and fair competition are being undermined by disinformation, foreign manipulation, state-resource misuse, intimidation of journalists and unlawful interference with opposition actors.

The appeal came as the European Commission demanded an urgent explanation from Budapest over a leaked recording that appeared to show a further instance of the Hungarian foreign minister covertly helping his Russian counterpart.

Overnight, the US president, Donald Trump, repeated his endorsement of Viktor Orbán ahead of the vote on Sunday, urging Hungarians to “get out and vote” for him and stressing he will be “with him all the way.”

Obviously, it’s not the first time Trump intervenes in this campaign, with the pair going back over a decade.

Earlier this week, the US vice-president JD Vance called him on his mobile while on stage speaking at a “day of Hungarian-American friendship” pre-election rally in Budapest, and Trump earlier also recorded a video endorsing the embattled Hungarian prime minister.

In today’s post on Truth Social, he said:

“Highly Respected Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán, is a truly strong and powerful Leader, with a proven track record of delivering phenomenal results. He fights tirelessly for, and loves, his Great Country and People, just like I do for the United States of America. Viktor works hard to Protect Hungary, Grow the Economy, Create Jobs, Promote Trade, Stop Illegal Immigration, and Ensure LAW AND ORDER! Relations between Hungary and the United States have reached new heights of cooperation and spectacular achievement under my Administration, thanks largely to Prime Minister Orbán. I look forward to continuing working closely with him so that both of our Countries can further advance this tremendous path to SUCCESS and cooperation. I was proud to ENDORSE Viktor for Re-Election in 2022, and am honored to do so again.
Election Day is Sunday, April 12, 2026. Hungary: GET OUT AND VOTE FOR VIKTOR ORBÁN. He is a true friend, fighter, and WINNER, and has my Complete and Total Endorsement for Re-Election as Prime Minister of Hungary — VIKTOR ORBÁN WILL NEVER LET THE GREAT PEOPLE OF HUNGARY DOWN. I AM WITH HIM ALL THE WAY! President DONALD J. TRUMP”

in Budapest

We talked to a few Budapest residents this morning in the city centre at Jászai Mari Square.

Most of them were rushing to work, but still stopped to chat with us about the upcoming vote on Sunday, which seems to creep into every single conversation here lately – as they say, even at family dinners.

Some of them were not that keen on sharing the exact party they are going to vote for but every single one of them had strong opinions about the two main candidates: Hungary’s far-right prime minister Viktor Orbán, who has been in power for 16 years and Péter Magyar, a young(ish) centre-right figure who emerged from Fidesz circles and turned against the party a year ago.

Talking to people, we got the sense that despite Magyar leading the polls, he is not necessarily seen as the “perfect candidate,” but rather a protest vote against Orbán.

People who are planning to vote for him are hopeful about the vote on Sunday and predict a clear win for Magyar, who has the highest chance so far to put an end to Orbán’s reign.

But we also met a surprisingly high number of Fidesz supporters in the capital who resonated with the ruling party’s message: Sunday is about choosing “between war and peace”. One Fidesz voter called the opposition candidate a “narcissist”; others said they are satisfied with how Orbán supports ethnic Hungarians in the neighbouring countries.

in Budapest

Helló Budapestről!

Or, to those of you inexplicably less fluent in Hungarian: hello from Budapest!

It’s a beautiful if slightly chilly morning here in the Hungarian capital as we enter the final hours of the campaign before this Sunday’s parliamentary vote that could see the end of Viktor Orbán’s 16 years in power.

When you look at the polls, they are a bit all over the place – particularly depending on their, erm, affiliation and proximity to the ruling party – but all independent pollsters appear to suggest that Péter Magyar’s Tisza party is on course for victory on Sunday.

But there is plenty time before then, with a number of voters still undecided or not sure if they are even going to vote, despite the expected record turnout.

In his last rallies, Magyar warned his supporters against complacency, stressing the need to fight for every single vote and to get everyone to come out on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Orbán argued that “no election is decided until the people decide it,” and insisted he still expected a victory on Sunday.

Let’s see how it goes.

We will be bringing you updates from Budapest and beyond to get you a sense of what is the feeling on the ground in Hungary.

It’s Friday, 10 April 2026, it’s Jakub Krupa here, and this is Europe Live.

Good morning.