Hungarian election campaign enters decisive phase
Four weeks before the parliamentary elections in Hungary, both the ruling coalition and the opposition have held large demonstrations in Budapest. Péter Magyar’s Tisza Party is leading in most independent polls. If it wins, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his Fidesz would have to relinquish power after 16 years. Commentators stress that outcome is still open.
Orbán not defeated yet
Orbán must not be written off too soon, Pravda warns:
“There's still a month to go before the elections, and until then Orbán - who is currently lagging behind in the polls - will use every means at his disposal to overturn the result. Although it appears that Hungarians have already made up their minds, we know from Slovakia and other countries that decisions are often made in the final two weeks - and that they are often surprising. It will be interesting to see what steps Orbán takes to remain in power at any cost.”
Fidesz doesn't have a magic bullet
Support for the opposition appears to be stable, columnist Szabolcs Szerető observes in Magyar Hang:
“As a layperson, what I've gathered from the various opinion polls is that the Tisza Party enjoys consistently high - very high - levels of support. It may be slowly reaching its peak and not growing any further, but Fidesz has not yet found a way to turn the tide. ... The ruling party is thus primarily trying to win back as many as possible from the unsettled, disaffected segment of its 2022 voter base. The question is whether this will be enough in what promises to be a frantic final sprint.”
Risky proximity to the people
Népszava voices concern about Orbán's safety on the campaign trail:
“In the past 16 years the situation in Hungarian political life has never been as turbulent as it is now. Viktor Orbán has never needed to get as personally involved as he is now. ... He is visiting six locations, and even announced the times and places in advance - something he had never done before. ... Let's hope that not a single suspicious element mingles with the crowd, and that we don't have to fear that the prime minister could fall victim to attacks or assaults. We live in precarious times. Russian manipulators are also among us, and who knows what their intentions are.”