Voters in Hungary will head to the polls on Sunday as nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban faces the toughest opposition of his 16-year tenure.
Opinion polls suggest that Orban and his nationalist Fidesz party will lose power to the centre-right, pro-European Union Tisza party, led by former party loyalist Peter Magyar.
US Vice president JD Vance took time out of a busy schedule amid a fragile ceasefire with Iran to assist Orban with his election campaign, saying the European leader “stands up for the values of western civilisation”.
Orban, a staunch ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin, has drawn widespread criticism across Europe for his support for the invasion of Ukraine.
He previously shrugged off Russian drone incursions into Nato airspace, saying: “So what?” and declared: “Ukraine is not an independent country.”
Polling stations open on Sunday at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) and close at 7 p.m. (1700 GMT). The results should become clear by late Sunday evening.
Key Points
- Polls open in crucial Hungarian election
- Why JD Vance is helping right wing populist Viktor Orbán’s failing election campaign in Hungary
- Trump backs Putin ally Viktor Orbán for reelection in Hungary: ‘I am with him all the way’
- Hungary’s election is a question of being careful what you wish for
- Watch: Europe’s most important election is taking place in Hungary
Viktor Orban faces pivotal election after 16 years
06:00 , Alex CroftRead all you need to know in just five bullet points:
Polls open in crucial Hungarian election - all the key timings
05:00 , Alex CroftThe polls have now opened in Hungary, where it has just turned 6am.
The polls will remain open for 13 hours before closing at 7pm local time (6pm BST).
Early results are expected to start coming in within one or two hours of this point. But some votes could take longer to count, with the count likely to take up to four days for ballots cast abroad.
However, by Sunday night, we should have almost the full picture, with up to 95 per cent of the vote expected to have been counted.
Stay with us throughout the day as we bring you live coverage of what could be a momentous day for European politics.
Peter Magyar led the polls – but critics fear potential for vote manipulation
03:01 , Alex CroftJames Reynolds reports:
Polls will open early on Sunday morning, with preliminary results expected to start appearing from around 8pm. Most voters will cast one vote for a candidate in their constituency and another for a nationwide party list.
Around 95 per cent of both votes are expected to be processed on election night. The National Election Office will also have to aggregate ballots cast from abroad, meaning in a tight race it could be another week before there is a definitive outcome.
The polls suggest a lead for Peter Magyar, whose party had the support of 52 per cent of decided voters going into the election, according to a poll conducted by the Publicus Institute. Some 39 per cent of decided voters backed Orbán’s Fidesz.
Still, the election is far from a closed contest. Around one in five voters are undecided, and historical gerrymandering and a high proportion of ethnic Hungarians supportive of Fidesz casting their vote in neighbouring countries could cause an upset.
Critics have also warned of the potential for vote manipulation.
Watch: JD Vance hails Viktor Orbán as 'one of the only true statesmen in Europe'
01:00 , Alex CroftOrban's betting odds drop after Vance Hungary visit
Saturday 11 April 2026 23:29 , Alex CroftViktor Orban’s odds of winning the Hungarian parliamentary election dropped this week, following a visit by vice president JD Vance.
The vice president said he would help the incumbent prime minister in his election campaign in a press conference in the Hungarian capital of Budapest on Wednesday.
He also phoned Donald Trump, who gave Orban an endorsement in the election over speaker phone.
But betting markets afterwards showed that Orban’s stock fell marginally - although it is unclear whether it was a direct consequence of Vance’s intervention.
Either way, it is clear that Washington’s involvement so far does not appear to have boosted Orban’s chances to retain power.
Viktor Orbán faces reckoning as Hungary heads to the polls – and Trump’s support may have sealed his fate
Saturday 11 April 2026 22:30 , Alex CroftViktor Orbán had led Hungary through four years of recession and recovery when he chose to unveil his grand plan for an “illiberal democracy” at a cultural event in Romania in 2014.
In his most consequential speech as leader, he argued that the financial crisis of 2008 had exposed holes in the liberal project and that a strong state, no longer bound to obsess over personal freedoms, was Hungary’s future.
“Just because something is not liberal, it still can be a democracy,” he said, prophetically.
Twelve years later and the country he leads has changed profoundly. Orbán, now aged 62, has cast himself as a defender of the country’s cultural identity, imposing some of Europe’s toughest asylum rules and limiting gay rights while offering families generous handouts to reverse falling birth rates.
Read the full preview by our senior foreign reporter James Reynolds:
Orbán faces reckoning as Hungary heads to polls – and Trump may have sealed his fate
Opinion | JD Vance's Hungary trip may not have the impact he hopes
Saturday 11 April 2026 21:29 , Alex CroftMary Dejevsky writes:
It takes a particular kind of chutzpah for a senior US official to travel all the way to Hungary just days before parliamentary elections and use a public platform to accuse others of interfering in the vote. Given that the US was largely preoccupied with the war on Iran, this represented a big investment of status and time – even if it was a welcome diversion for the vice-president, JD Vance.
This two-day visit was intended to bolster support for Viktor Orban, Hungary’s prime minister for the past 16 years and the widely acknowledged leader of the EU’s awkward squad: a position that suits the current US administration just fine. Nor did Vance hold back. Speaking at a rally for Orban, Vance challenged his audience: “Will you stand against the bureaucrats in Brussels? Will you stand for Western civilisation? Will you stand for freedom, truth, and the God of our fathers? Then, my friends, go to the polls and stand for Viktor Orban!”
Whether the US intervention can swing the election for Orban is another matter. For all the enthusiastic reception Vance received, it cannot be excluded that some of the European aversion to what is seen as Trump’s war of choice on Iran will rub off on Hungarians of a Trumpian disposition, as it has on voters elsewhere. And defeat for Orban and his governing Fidesz party looks possible, or at least more possible, than at any time in the years that Orban has exerted his increasingly personal hold on power.
In pictures: Vance visits Budapest in bid to boost Orban campaign
Saturday 11 April 2026 20:30 , Alex Croft
'We always win', says confident Orban
Saturday 11 April 2026 19:30 , Alex CroftHungarian prime minister Viktor Orban, who is trailing in the polls, was asked earlier today by Sky News whether he was worried his Fidesz party may lose the election.
“We win, we win, we always win,” he tells a reporter through a security fence.
Asked again why he is trailing so far behind in the polls, Mr Orban added: “No, no, we always win, don’t worry. Look around, trust your eyes.”
What do the polls say?
Saturday 11 April 2026 18:32 , Alex CroftHungary's centre-right Tisza party leads prime minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz ahead of Sunday's parliamentary election, a poll published by newspaper Nepszava showed on Friday.
Nationalist Orban faces the biggest challenge to his rule in 16 years, although the large number of undecided voters means the outcome of the election is uncertain.
Tisza, led by former government insider Peter Magyar, had the support of 52 per cent of decided voters, while 39 per cent backed Fidesz, the poll conducted by Publicus Institute showed.
The survey, which had a sample size of 1,000, showed 38 per cent support for Tisza among all voters, with Fidesz backed by 29 per cent. Some 25 per cent of respondents said they had not decided how they would vote.
A poll on Thursday also showed Tisza in front, with 50 per cent of decided voters backing the centre-right party, while 37 per cent backed Fidesz, the poll by Idea Institute showed.
The survey, which had a sample size of 1,500, showed 39 per cent support for Tisza among all voters, with Fidesz backed by 30 per cent. Some 21 per cent of respondents said they had not decided how they would vote.
Watch: Trump endorses Viktor Orbán via speaker phone during JD Vance call in Budapest
Saturday 11 April 2026 17:28 , Alex CroftWhy is Orbán’s popularity suffering?
Saturday 11 April 2026 16:31 , Alex CroftOur senior foreign reporter James Reynolds writes:
Orbán has spent the last few months attempting to discredit his opponents, while laying on the strength of relations with Trump and Vladimir Putin under his leadership. Few leaders can boast to have the support of both in 2026.
Analysts say their backing may no longer be enough. Despite being a high-income and industrialised economy, Hungary still struggles with inflation and spending constraints tied to its democratic shortcomings: the EU has withheld roughly €19bn in funding due to concerns over the rule of law and corruption, with the economy suffering.
Éva Fodor, a professor at the Central European University, told The Independent: “Orbán is now trying to turn on the heat, but they don’t seem to have any new ideas.”
“Before every election, they had a different kind of enemy: immigrants, George Soros, Brussels, and the gender lobby.
“But now they don’t seem to have a new enemy that they can construct. So they’re just trying to sort of double down on some of these topics.”
Opponent Peter Magyar of the Tisza party has meanwhile promoted a “Hungarian New Deal”, promising massive investment and predictable policy if his centre-right party wins. That would include clamping down on corruption and buying back state assets while investing in a major healthcare reform, housebuilding and modernisation using EU funds.
Czech prime minister backs Orban
Saturday 11 April 2026 15:29 , Sam RkainaCzech populist prime minister Andrej Babishas Orban backed Viktor Orban to win ahead of Sunday's parliamentary election, saying he was the best choice for Hungarian interests and stability in turbulent times.
“Supporting Viktor Orban this Sunday. He has always fought for a stronger Europe, one built on peace, sovereign nations, sovereign member states, competitiveness," Babis said on X on Saturday.
“In turbulent times, choosing stability and proven leadership matters more than ever.”
Babis, a billionaire businessman, has turned from a liberal pro-EU politician into a close Orban ally in their Patriots for Europe faction in the European Parliament.
Since he returned to power last year after a stint in opposition, the Czech Republic has slashed its aid for Ukraine and refused to participate in EU's 90 billion euro ($105.47 billion) loan for Kyiv.
Why JD Vance is helping right wing populist Viktor Orbán’s failing election campaign in Hungary
Friday 10 April 2026 15:48 , Maira ButtUS vice president JD Vance is in Budapest in a last minute attempt to boost the campaign of Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán, a key European ally of the Trump administration, ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
Orbán’s Fidesz political party is lagging in the polls, with the opposition Tisza party – led by Péter Magyar, a former Fidesz insider – well ahead at 58% to Orbán’s 35%.
The populist right wing leader will be battling to extend his 16-year grip on power, during which he has turned the central European country into what he calls an “illiberal democracy”.
Jessie Williams reports:
Why JD Vance is helping Hungarian strongman Viktor Orbán’s failing election campaign
