Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán attends a bilateral luncheon hosted by US President Donald Trump at the White House in Washington, DC, USA on November 7, 2025.
Jonathan Ernst | Reuters
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has the “full and complete support” of US President Donald Trump but is on track to lose the country’s election in what is shaping up to be one of the most important and contentious elections in Europe this year.
On Tuesday, US Vice President JD Vance will arrive in Hungary to express support for Mr Orbán and address an election rally at a Budapest soccer stadium ahead of Sunday’s election. Mr. Orbán has maintained relatively close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, even as other European leaders have explicitly aligned themselves with Ukraine in its war with Russia. During his campaign, he even said that the EU was a bigger threat to Hungary than Russia.
Prime Minister Orbán and his Fidesz party are expected to lose to their main challenger, the pro-European opposition party Tisza, according to the latest opinion polls, with leader Piotr Magyar set to succeed Mr Orbán after 16 years in power.
This would be a significant shift in a country where concerns over immigration, vulnerability to high energy prices, corruption and violations of the rule of law dominate the debate.
Due to these violations, the European Commission has suspended EU funds to the country, and approximately 17 billion euros worth of funds remain frozen.
Prime Minister Magyar said unlocking funds would be a “top priority” and signaled he was open to pursuing closer ties with the EU, including potentially introducing the euro.
In an interview with The Associated Press over the weekend, Magyar said “reaching a compromise” is “an art.”
“The world seems to be overtaking Europe. Europe has lost its competitiveness. Europe doesn’t have strong enough leaders. It doesn’t have visionary leaders, and Europe is falling behind.”
Peter Magyar, a lawyer and former government insider, speaks to the public during a demonstration he organized in front of the Prosecutor General’s Office in Budapest, Hungary, on March 26, 2024.
Janos Kumar | Getty Images News | Getty Images
An analysis by the German Marshall Fund said Magyar’s appointment could signal a departure from the confrontational foreign policy pursued by Orbán, and could also bring Budapest closer to its Western allies on other issues, such as solidarity with Russia.
However, a potential Magyar government would not represent a complete break from Orban-era policies.
Immigration remains a controversial issue, as does aid to Ukraine. Mr Tisza has taken a cautious stance on Ukraine’s EU ambitions, even supporting Orbán’s government in the European Parliament by voting against sending troops and weapons to the front lines.
Energy also remains a thorny issue. Hungary is currently embroiled in a dispute with Ukraine over oil shipments through the Druzhba pipeline, which led Budapest to veto a €90 billion loan from the EU.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban has focused in recent weeks on addressing concerns about the energy price shock caused by the Iran war. He accused the Magyars of colluding with the EU and Ukraine to cut off cheap Russian oil from Hungary.
The possibility of external interference by Russia is also being closely watched in the election campaign, with misinformation reporting on social media in particular attracting attention.
