Viktor Orbán spent 16 years building an ‘illiberal’ Hungarian democracy. On Sunday, he could be voted out

In the hours before polling stations opened across Hungary, as candidates wrapped up last-minute campaigns in towns and villages located on the Hungarian plains, a sense of panic gripped voters ahead of what was seen as a crucial vote.

Poles are independent suggested that Viktor Orbán’s party Fidesz could be defeated by the opposition party Tisza, led by Péter Magyar, Fidesz once a loyal fidesz player.

The Hungarian hero’s staunch supporters fear the end of his 16-year rule, while those who have campaigned for him for years worry that the growing support of opposition parties may not be enough to cover the second-thirds they desire.

“I’m really scared … to be honest,” said Gergely Lázár, 26, who spoke to CBC News while attending a Tisza rally in the Hungarian city of Újfehértó.

“Viktor Orbán has been in his position for a long time, and I don’t think it will be very easy to give up his power.”

A long-term leader

Orbán, the European Union’s longest-serving prime minister, is a divisive figure at home and abroad.

His critics accuse him of creating an iron grip on the government by controlling the judiciary and the media, and rampant corruption.

But his self-described desire to create a so-called informal democracy in Hungary has won him praise from the right and some in the US MAGA movement.

Orbán’s vision is of a democracy that is not bound by liberal norms, but which prioritizes family, country and what the government considers traditional values. His approach has been accompanied by increased state control, hostility toward foreign institutions and independent media, and anti-immigration policies.

US Vice President JD Vance visited Budapest earlier this week to openly support Orbán’s re-election campaign.

Orbán’s relationship with Washington and Moscow, as well as his differences with the EU, means that the Hungarian election is being closely watched by many of the nearly 10 million people living in Hungary.

The outcome of the election has the potential to reshape national and international relations.

Lázár, who works as a builder in eastern Hungary and has considered leaving the country because of the political situation, summarizes what voters need to do.

“It’s very simple,” he said. “We are deciding between the West or the East, Europe or Russia.”

A party loyalist to a rival

Lázár spoke to CBC News as he waited for Magyar to appear on his final campaign stop on Saturday, which included a visit to the region considered a Fidesz stronghold.

Magyar, his surname means Hungarian, he admitted that he was inspired by Orbán when he was young, he even carved his picture on his wall.

But two years ago, after his ex-wife who served as Orbán’s justice minister resigned due to public discord. over a pardon related to a sexual assault chargecalled the party, accusing it of corruption and propaganda.

At one of the campaign meetings on Saturday, he repeatedly compared Orbán’s government to the Mafia.

“The history of Hungary is being written here in the streets and squares,” Magyar told the crowd on Saturday.

“Not in Moscow, not in Brussels, not in Washington.”

Although Magyar has focused his campaign on domestic issues, such as health care, education and infrastructure, he and his party support the European Union and want to reset relations with other member states.

The EU conflict

Billions of euros of money have been frozen by the European Commission due to concerns related to the decline of Hungarian democracy, including incidents of corruption and the lack of rights and freedoms of minority groups.

Hungary, which relies heavily on Russian oil and gas, has repeatedly clashed with the EU over Ukraine, and Orbán has repeatedly blocked or delayed aid and loans to Kyiv and sanctions packages against Russia.

More recently, Orbán accused Kyiv of not being quick enough to repair the Druzbha pipeline, which Ukraine says was damaged during a Russian drone attack.

The pipeline carries Russian oil to eastern and central Europe. As part of the dispute over reforms, Orbán has been trying to block a 90 billion euro loan to Ukraine.

Ukrainian feature

The war in Ukraine has been part of Orbán’s re-election campaign, designed to stoke fears about the idea that Hungary could be drawn into the conflict at any moment.

Portraits of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy are plastered on Fidesz posters, suggesting that Hungarian opposition could lead the country to war,

At the meeting on Friday Székesfehérvár, a city southwest of Budapest, Orbán even said that the choice to be made in the Hungarian elections was about supporting him or the Ukrainian president.

In the same speech, he repeatedly said that he is the only leader who can bring peace and security. A message that seems to affect Fidesz supporters.

Listening in the crowd of hundreds waving Hungarian flags was 18-year-old Milan, who did not give his last name.

He said he believes the current government has made Hungary a good place for young people. Although wages may be higher in countries like Germany, he said peace and stability are very important and are at stake in this election.

Election observers

This election was observed by local and foreign observers, including a team from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. In a recent report, it noted that many of the campaigns in the run-up to the vote were “based on fear-mongering.”

The OSCE noted concerns surrounding electoral districts, which were redrawn in December 2024 and criticized as favoring the ruling government.

Hungarians do not directly elect a prime minister, but elect 199 members of parliament through a mix of local representative voting and selection from national party lists.

“We can say with confidence that there is a very difficult gerrymander,” shelp Andrea Virag, strategic director of the Republikon Intézet, an independent think tank based in Budapest that focuses on democracy and public policy.

Virag says he views the country’s elections as free but unfair, given that most of the media is controlled or affiliated with the government and that the lines between party funds and state funds are very blurred.

“Average citizens can no longer follow when government funds are used, when Fidesz uses their resources, they are essentially the same..”