Stakes in the Hungarian Election Are Ramping Up

On April 12, Hungary is facing one of the most consequential elections in its history. The two main contenders are Viktor Orbán, the autocratic leader of the Fidesz Party (which, in English, roughly translates to Hungarian Civic Alliance). His main opponent is Peter Magyar, the head of the Tisza Party (roughly translated as the Respect and Freedom Party. Magyar is a former Orbán loyalist who turned against his boss due to the rampant corruption in Orbán’s government.  Even though the election is still weeks away, there have been troubling allegations made about Orban’s campaign. Firstly, according to a report in the BBC, voter intimidation has been widely reported, with political operatives attached to Fidesz offering money and, in some cases, illegal drugs to voters to induce them.  On top of that, there was a report last Saturday in the Washington Post about a plan by Russian Intelligence to shore up support for Orban by staging a fake assassination attempt against him. As the election date nears, I am sure we will hear of more tactics to sway the election in Orban’s favor.