Polls close in Hungary as opposition alliance seeks to unseat Orbán


Hungarian voters cast their ballots on Sunday to determine whether controversial leader Viktor Orbán will serve a fourth consecutive term as prime minister, Reuters reports.
Gergely Gulyás, a minister in Orbán's government, said the high turnout is a victory for democracy and that the early projections he's seen "give cause for optimism," per Euronews.
Orbán has refused to cut his country off from Russian oil and gas and will not allow weapons being sent to Ukrainian forces to be shipped through Hungary. He did, however, condemn Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine. "I am standing on the basis of the Hungarian national interests. I am pro-Hungary," Orbán told reporters
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The nationalist and socially conservative policies Orbán has pursued during his 12 years in office — including his emphasis on border security, his pro-natalist policies, his bans on things such as gender studies programs and the promotion of homosexuality and transgenderism to children, and his rhetoric about preserving Hungary's Christian heritage — have made him a popular figure with much of the American right, especially Fox News host Tucker Carlson, who visited Hungary and interviewed Orbán last year.
While campaigning in 2020, President Biden numbered Hungary among the world's "totalitarian regimes" and lumped Orbán in with the "thugs" who lead them.
Conservative Rod Dreher, who has spent time in Hungary, dismissed these labels. "[W]hen I left here late last summer, almost everyone I knew in Fidesz was really anxious about the 2022 election," Dreher wrote for The American Conservative on Friday. "In a true autocracy, leaders don't worry about elections."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
October 19 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday's editorial cartoons include Pete Hegseth and the press, an absence of government, and George Washington crossing the Delaware
-
A little-visited Indian Ocean archipelago
The Week Recommends The paradise of the Union of the Comoros features beautiful beaches, colourful coral reefs and lush forests
-
AI: is the bubble about to burst?
In the Spotlight Stock market ever-more reliant on tech stocks whose value relies on assumptions of continued growth and easy financing
-
DOJ indicts John Bolton over classified files
Speed Read Continuing the trend of going after his political enemies, Trump prosecutes his former national security adviser
-
Trump, Putin set summit as Zelenskyy lands in DC
Speed Read Trump and Putin have agreed to meet in Budapest soon to discuss ending the war in Ukraine
-
Courts deal setbacks to Trump’s Chicago operations
Speed Read President Donald Trump cannot deploy the National Guard in Illinois
-
Pentagon reporters turn in badges after refusing rules
Speed Read They refused to sign a restrictive new press policy imposed by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth
-
Supreme Court points to gutting Voting Rights Act
speed read States would no longer be required to consider race when drawing congressional maps
-
Trump says he authorized covert CIA ops in Venezuela
Speed Read He is also considering military strikes inside the country
-
‘Vile, racist’ leaked chats roil Young Republicans
Speed Read Leaders of Young Republican groups made racist, antisemitic and violent comments in private chats
-
Trump ties $20B Argentina bailout to Milei votes
speed read Trump will boost Argentina’s economy — if the country’s right-wing president wins upcoming elections