Hungary rivals make final pitch as Orbán fights for political life

DEBRECEN, Hungary – Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán made competing final pitches to voters on Saturday, a day before the country heads to the polls in what is seen as its most critical election since the transition to democracy.

Magyar told supporters in the eastern city of Debrecen that Orbán, who trails in the polls, would be ejected from office. He urged them to back a “European, functional, humane, free and independent Hungary.”

“Many millions of Hungarians will vote tomorrow for a European, functional, humane, free and independent Hungary,” he said at the closing rally of his center-right Tisza Party.

More than 10,000 supporters attended the event, filling the main square in front of the university in Hungary’s second-largest city and surrounding streets.

Chants of “The Tisza is swelling!” echoed through the crowd, a reference both to the party’s name and the River Tisza.

“Tomorrow we will defeat the ruling party and free our wonderful homeland from corruption, lies, hate speech and impoverishment,” Magyar said, accusing Orbán of aligning Hungary with Moscow and pledging to firmly re-anchor the country within Europe.

“Hungary’s place is, was and will be in Europe,” he added.

Meanwhile, Orbán struck a starkly different tone at a rally in Budapest, warning that only a victory for his ruling Fidesz party would keep Hungary out of the war in neighboring Ukraine.

“Peace is the most important goal of this election,” Orbán told thousands of supporters. “We will not let our children be dragged into the war,” he said, describing the conflict as “a fratricidal conflict between two Slavic peoples.”

Orbán has campaigned for months by criticizing Ukraine and warning of the risk of Hungary becoming entangled in the conflict.

He rejected accusations that he is pursuing a pro-Russian policy, pointing to support from the current U.S. administration. President Donald Trump and other conservative U.S. politicians have wished him success in the election.

The prime minister, who promotes what he calls an “illiberal democracy,” said he understood calls for generational change but argued that the timing was wrong. “We live in an age of danger,” he said, adding that “experienced” leadership was needed.

Orbán, 62, has been in power continuously for 16 years, after an earlier term from 1998 to 2002, and is facing the toughest campaign of his career.

Around 8 million Hungarians are eligible to vote on Sunday.

Opinion polls show Tisza clearly ahead of Orbán’s Fidesz, though the electoral system created by Orbán is highly unbalanced and tailored to the needs of his party.

Polling stations open at 6 a.m. (0400 GMT) and close at 7 p.m., with no exit polls expected. Meaningful partial results are due late on Sunday evening.