Voter turnout high in Hungary as hard-line Viktor Orban aims for 3rd consecutive term as prime minister

BUDAPEST — Hungarians went to the polls Sunday in a pivotal election widely seen as measure of the state of democracy in the eastern periphery of the European Union. In a member state often seen as an ascendant autocracy, turnout was high as voters endured long lines to have their say on the future of their country.

The reelection of Viktor Orban, Hungary’s staunchly anti-migrant, strongman prime minister, and his right-wing Fidesz party is almost certain. The question is whether he can pull off a two-thirds supermajority in parliament, a legislative carte blanche that in the past has allowed him to enact drastic changes to the constitution, attempt to influence the judiciary and crack down on his critics.

A high turnout could spell trouble for Orban’s grip on power as he attempts to serve his fourth overall term. Even in gerrymandered districts, more votes for opposition candidates will be added to party totals, which could then undermine the presence of Fidesz in parliament. Virtually all polls suggest that Orban will remain head of the government, but political analysts are uncertain as to the meaning of Sunday’s high turnout.

As he cast his ballot, Orban couched the election in existential terms: “What’s at stake is Hungary’s future,” he said. But opposition leaders wasted no time in heralding the highest rates of turnout since 2002, when Orban was thrown out of power in an election in which passions ran high. His political rebirth in 2010 heralded the dawn of a new hard-line conservatism that his challengers hope Sunday’s election will curb.