Can Viktor Orbán be defeated?

François Valentin and Jorge González-Gallarza | 11th February 2022 | Brussels, International

BUDAPEST, HUNGARY - OCTOBER 23: Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister delivers his speech during a peace march on October 23, 2021 in Budapest, Hungary. The new Hungarian opposition leader Peter Marki-Zay, the surprise winner of the primaries, intends to shake up the political scene to overthrow Hungary's President Viktor Orban of the Fidesz party in April 2022 during presidential elections. (Photo by Janos Kummer/Getty Images)

Hungary’s opposition seems united around little more than its dislike of the PM and his Fidesz party. Will that be enough to beat him in April's elections?

When exactly are electoral observation missions warranted in a democracy? Hungarians are heading to the polls on 3 April to elect a new parliament and a substantial share of the opposition to Prime Minister Viktor Orbán seems to fear that the election will be neither free nor fair. Late last month, a coalition of MEPs from 19 different countries and five different political groups officially requested a team of election monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The multilateral body quickly acquiesced. Their call for applications, should you fancy enlisting in their mission to monitor fraud and ensure equal access to balloting, is open until until the end of today (11 February). Despite agreeing on little else, Dalibor Roháč and Boris Kálnoky both seemed confident that these legislative elections actually will be held in 'acceptably' fair terms. Ultimately, by throwing the election results into doubt, the opposition is making a larger point about th...

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