Hungary’s nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban has won a fourth term by a landslide in the country’s general election, near-complete results show.
His right-wing Fidesz party had 53.1% of votes with 98% counted, preliminary results show.
The opposition alliance led by Peter Marki-Zay was far behind with 35%.
In his victory speech, Mr Orban criticised Brussels bureaucrats and Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling them “opponents”.
Mr Zelensky has repeatedly criticised Mr Orban’s ban on the transfer of arms to Ukraine, with which it shares a border. However, Mr Orban – who has close ties with Moscow – has condemned the Russian invasion, and taken in half a million refugees since the war began in February.
“We never had so many opponents,” he said cited by AFP. “Brussels bureaucrats… the international mainstream media, and the Ukrainian president.”
Mr Orban added that his “huge victory” could be seen “from the Moon, but certainly from Brussels as well”.
When officially confirmed by Hungary’s electoral commission, the victory will be Fidesz’s fourth successive win since 2010. The National Election Office said Fidesz would have 135 seats, a two-thirds majority, and the opposition alliance would have 56 seats – again, based on preliminary results.
Mr Orban, 58, has had a fraught relationship with the EU, which considers that Fidesz has undermined Hungary’s democratic institutions.
In his 12 years in power, Mr Orban has rewritten the constitution, filled the top courts with his appointees, and changed the electoral system to his advantage.
During campaigning, the opposition’s catch-phrase was “Orban or Europe”.
Their candidate Peter Marki-Zay argued that Hungary should join Poland, the UK and others in supplying arms to Ukraine. And if called upon, and only within a Nato framework, should even consider sending troops.
The opposition complained that Fidesz had isolated Hungary from the European mainstream, and from consensual democracy, fairness and decency.
