After the vote, Viktor Órban spoke to thes journalists and said he is confident of victory. The Prime Minister of Hungary recalled that Brussels must accept the decision of the Hungarian people.
The two main candidates for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and opposition leader Péter Magyar have already voted in a trip to the polls marked by record turnout in the early hours.
Shortly after 08:00 local time (07:00 Lisbon time), the two great rivals in the race for power voted in Budapest in elections considered the most important since the fall of communism in 1989 and which could mark the end of the Viktor Orbán era.
According to the first data from the Hungarian Electoral Commission, at 09:00 local time (08:00 in Lisbon), almost 17% of the more than 8.1 million citizens entitled to vote had already attended the polling stations. Until now, the highest turnout at the same time had been recorded in the 2002 elections, with 12%.
The conservative candidate and former member of the ruling Fidesz party, Péter Magyar, 45, went to the polling station in his neighborhood in the Hungarian capital at 8:25 am (7:25 am in Lisbon), surrounded by dozens of journalists.
“No one should be afraid. Today there will be a change of system in Hungary. Millions of Hungarians will make history. There is no one to be afraid of,” Magyar told the press after voting.
“The mafia state no longer has power over any Hungarian citizen”, stated the opposition leader, in an allusion to Orbán, who has governed the Central European country since 2010 with large absolute majorities that allowed him to change the Constitution and the electoral law at will, among many other measures.
Viktor Orbán assured, in turn, that he will congratulate Magyar if he wins the elections, before appealing to vote for his party, Fidesz, arguing that “it is the safest option”.
The current prime minister, aged 62, assured that, in the event of a “huge victory” for Magyar, he will abandon the presidency of Fidesz, the party he co-founded in 1988 and which has dominated for decades.
Asked by the press if these would be his last elections in the event of a clear defeat, Orbán replied: “By no means, I am a young man, these will not be my last elections.”
“It is necessary to respect the people’s decision,” added Viktor Orbán, amid warnings launched by both candidates about the possibility of electoral fraud in the elections.
The voting tables will remain open until 7pm local time (6pm in Lisbon) and the first relevant results are expected after 10pm in Hungary.
