Overview
- Hungary's parliamentary election, which takes place April 12, will decide whether Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz keeps control or Péter Magyar’s upstart Tisza sets a new course.
- Recent polling cited in the coverage shows Tisza ahead among decided voters, yet Hungary’s two-ballot system transfers surplus and losing votes to party lists, a rule that helped Fidesz turn 53% of votes into 68% of seats in 2022.
- Orbán blocked the implementation of a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine in March after earlier delaying a €50 billion package in 2023, prompting EU leaders to accuse him of blackmail and disloyalty.
- U.S. political figures have lined up behind Orbán, with President Donald Trump endorsing him in March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio backing him in February, and Vice President J.D. Vance visiting Hungary this month.
- EU aid decisions on Ukraine often require unanimous approval, which gives Hungary veto power and raises the stakes for Kyiv and Brussels.