Hungary's far-right party “Patria Noastra” hopes to win enough support in the elections to become a decisive factor in the formation of the government, possibly paving the way for Viktor Orbán to remain in power, reports the Reuters agency on Sunday, taken by News.ro.
“Our Fatherland” is campaigning on an anti-European Union, anti-migration and anti-vaccination platform and claims that it will fight against corruption and crime.
Laszlo Toroczkai, the 48-year-old leader of the “Our Fatherland” party, rejects the classification of his party as far-right and says that he considers it “sovereignist”, in opposition to globalist forces.
“Our homeland” attracts voters who openly display anti-Semitism and anti-Roma attitudes and should certainly be considered a far-right party, said Robert Laszlo, electoral expert at the Political Capital think tank, although he specified that they represent a minority within the party.
He noted that “Our Fatherland” also attracted moderate voters through vaccine conspiracy theories during the Covid-19 pandemic.
While Toroczkai ruled out joining a coalition with Fidesz or Tisza, political analysts say “Our Fatherland” could informally support a minority Fidesz government from the opposition, if that was necessary for Viktor Orbán to govern.
Elections with record turnout in Hungary
Polls had already closed in Hungary at 19:00 local time, at the end of a tense parliamentary election in which Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party faced off against opposition Péter Magyar's Tisza group.
After 16 years at the helm of the country, Viktor Orbán may lose power. His enemy, the man who wants to take his place at the head of the government, is Péter Magyar, a former member of the Fidesz party, who rebelled against the system.
Hungarians voted in huge numbers in this crucial election for the future of the country, setting a record turnout. The final voting turnout has not yet been officially announced, but half an hour before the polls closed, 77.8% of voters had voted.
There is no traditional exit poll, but the latest polls that emerged after the polls closed point to a victory for the opposition led by Peter Magyar.
The first official partial results will start to appear from 20.00 local time, that is 21.00 in Romania.
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