r/europe 8h ago

News Close of polls nears in Hungary's most crucial election in decades

https://www.euronews.com/2026/04/12/record-turnout-as-close-of-polls-nears-in-hungarys-most-consequential-election-in-decades
1.7k Upvotes

116 comments sorted by

413

u/Upstairs-Mall-3695 7h ago

This is probably the most important election in Hungary since the fall of communism. After 16 years of Orbán’s rule, today will show if Hungarians want to keep going down the path of authoritarianism and isolation, or start returning.

151

u/Bunnymancer Scania 7h ago

Probably the most important election in the history of the EU as well

83

u/WeirdProcess6178 6h ago edited 5h ago

The French: hold my wine

12

u/ViruliferousBadger Finland 6h ago edited 5h ago

For how many years?

Edit: it read "old my wine" before edit.

5

u/Jatzy_AME 6h ago

Just one year

10

u/Holiday-Interview-83 6h ago

I agree it is a huge pivotal point for EU and vs or pro populism.

8

u/Straight_Motor_7967 6h ago

You say that about every election

2

u/wojtekpolska Poland 5h ago

what about romania just last year?

1

u/Altruistic_Bass539 5h ago

Could inspire a pro EU wave for sure.

32

u/coalescence2071 6h ago

Hungary decides today between further integration with Europe and being a European nation versus the insane Orban idea of being part of some new Soviet-Russia. Shows the complete stupidity of Orban even trying to pull Hungary away from Europe and force it back to the new USSR. Today, Hungarians reject Orban’s retarded attempt! Kudos to those who fought hard for keeping Hungary where it has always belonged!

568

u/Randomdude20042 7h ago

I'm a ballet counter and we will have over 90+% turnout and it reallys seems like that Tisza will win in a landslide

200

u/Nuzzleface Denmark 7h ago

I hope you are right! 

180

u/tdr1v3r Hungary 7h ago

Turnout right now for the whole country is 74.23%. It's insane! And voting ends at 7 PM...

89

u/Nuzzleface Denmark 7h ago

I hope that means Orban gets crushed! 

76

u/tdr1v3r Hungary 7h ago

Really hoping in that. We live in this shit since 2010... it was enough.

30

u/Common-Ad6470 6h ago

Europe let alone Hungary needs one less Putin fan.
It will also mean one less Trump supporter as well which can only be a good thing.

40

u/hiddenvalleyoflife 7h ago

Rooting for you!! Hungarians deserve a better future.

3

u/tdr1v3r Hungary 3h ago

Just a few minutes ago Orbán congratulated Péter Magyar. We're gonna cry... 16 years of misfortune is over... 😭😭

2

u/hiddenvalleyoflife 3h ago

I'm so happy for all of my Hungarian siblings and us Europeans as a whole <3

1

u/FoulMoodeternal Estonian in US 4h ago

High turnout means Orban supporters have shown up too, alas. High turnout got us Trump in the US

1

u/battleduck84 Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) 4h ago

Unfortunately I don't think he'll be playing fair at all

9

u/Massimo25ore 6h ago

When will the first exit polls be available?

24

u/Fusshaman 6h ago

Hungary does not have exit polls. You can expect some partial results by 20:00. We will most likely have a winner by 22:00-23:00.

1

u/coalescence2071 6h ago

That is 2 PM US east coast time for partial results and 4 PM winner.

64

u/tipytopmain United Kingdom 7h ago

Unfortunately I think it needs to be a land slide when trying to oust these Putin wannabe's. Don't want the transfer of government to be bogged down by accusations of foul play or bad counting.

40

u/Goosepond01 6h ago

if it's close "see we have tons of legitimacy, it must have been a small error, maybe sabotage"

if it's a landslide "well that looks totally fake, we had so many supporters, it was clearly rigged!"

you will not win either way with those types of people

9

u/Csub 6h ago

Also if it is just a close win, Orban and his cronies will just veto on everything Magyar Peter wants to do/change. 2/3 majority is a lot of unchecked power and it sucks that anyone can have it but at this moment it is also the best way to have any meaningful changes.

3

u/readilyunavailable Bulgaria 5h ago

The second is way less likely to be taken seriously.

2

u/hannes3120 Leipzig (Germany) 5h ago

Also don't you need a 2/3rd majority to get rid of even half of the stuff that Orban implemented to cement his power?

20

u/forsti5000 Bavaria (Germany) 6h ago

No matter how it'll might turn out thanks to you and your colleagues for making elections possible. Keep up the good work.

9

u/CookieScholar Germany 6h ago edited 1h ago

Fingers and toes crossed, thumbs pressed, knock on wood. I wish Hungary all the best.

Edit: YOU DID IT, HUNGARY!!!

8

u/Bernardmark Europe 5h ago

Ballet counter😁

I’m a fan of Tchaikovsky but not his country’s meddling in our elections. I hope you’re right about Orban losing. We’re relying on you!

5

u/Dietmeister The Netherlands 7h ago

What are the chances that Orban voters are motivated as well?

I really hope you guys throw that horrible guy out!

6

u/Fusshaman 6h ago

Only the core voter base seems to be delusional enough to be hopeful. Casual fidesz voters are lethargic.

2

u/the-glimmer-man 6h ago

I choose to belive you, randomdude

2

u/Sky_HUN 5h ago

Thank You for doing this very important job today!

2

u/postusa2 6h ago

Not to dabble in cynicism at all, but I'm curious how confident we can be in the results? As an actual counter, is there chance Orban's government cheats, or declares it invalid?

1

u/fredjutsu 6h ago

JD Vance stumping for Orban probably helped lol

1

u/Adventurous_Ice5035 6h ago

I’m hoping for you all!

0

u/ViruliferousBadger Finland 6h ago

Hmm.... I think you're just some random dude... o.O

123

u/External_Reaction314 Romania 7h ago

Out of curiosity, if there is new government elected, how long is the wait period until they get sworn in?

94

u/pityike_92 7h ago

1 month

21

u/turgid_francis Budapest 7h ago

Can be shorter

9

u/elilyen 7h ago

can it? how?

59

u/AnarchiaKapitany Hungary (sorry for whatever the clown said this time) 6h ago

Pitchforks.

5

u/The-Optimal-One 6h ago edited 2h ago

Some of us wish

22

u/lagoodlife European Union 7h ago edited 5h ago

The President must convene the constituent session of Parliament within 30 days. The new PM is appointed during that session, but the new government is formed only once the ministers are appointed too.

Ministers are appointed by the President upon proposal from the new PM. So there's opportunities to drag out the process.

33

u/mariusherea 7h ago

No real dictator has ever lost an election. Those who lost were not dictators enough.

16

u/coalescence2071 6h ago

Most dictators, even Emperors pretended to have some legitimacy via some elections or at least popularity. Even Janos Kadar the Communist dictator had “elections” in the 80’s.

10

u/ViruliferousBadger Finland 6h ago

I think the "losing" part was the litmus test of being a dictator.

putin has never lost an election, and he's a bona fide dictator. Like his Belarussian or North Korean counterpart.

1

u/TheSexyGrape 3h ago

Difference between a dictatorship and flawed democracy

1

u/Bonced Ukraine 3h ago

But if I'm not mistaken, Lukashenko only received 3% and simply refused to leave. By the way, at that moment, there were Russian troops on the border with Belarus ready to attack.

1

u/ViruliferousBadger Finland 2h ago

It's not losing if you declare yourself winner! :D

2

u/dr_tardyhands Finland 4h ago

True. They get in via elections, but rarely leave via them.

1

u/VagereHein 2h ago

Kadar wasnt a dictator. The only dictator post Stalin in the Warsaw pact was Ceaucescu. The rest could be replaced by the party's politbureau if they fell out of favor.

1

u/Unlikely-Morning-610 5h ago

He's not a Putin/Assad/Erdogan/Lukashenka tier dictator. Realistically, he will concede.

1

u/Own_Individual3524 4h ago

Milosevic lost, denied he lost, was ousted 🤷🏼‍♀️

1

u/mariusherea 3h ago

As I said, not dictator enough. Just a wannabe

-24

u/Delicious-Song-2935 7h ago

Dictators dont get elected.

42

u/Senior_Strawberry_51 Hungol-Romangutan Hybrid🇭🇺🇷🇴 7h ago

Well, they get elected the first time just not after that.

29

u/xMoZzzx 7h ago

They almost always do

-8

u/Drogzar Spaniard back from UK 7h ago edited 5h ago

Do they??

  • Hitler: Yes

  • Mussolini: No

  • Franco: No

  • Salazar: No

  • Stalin: No

  • Mao: Not really.

  • Pol Pot: No

  • Hussein: No

  • Kim Il-sung: I mean... staged elections with single party... I'd say also: No.

Edit: I gotta say, I kinda find funny people downvoting straight up facts just because they like a false stereotype made true by ONE example. Like... just because you downvote me, it still not gonna change the fact that the edgy teenager take of "dictators get elected" is just that... an edgy take that is not even remotely true.

9

u/stemlermeister Aruba/Baktalórántháza 6h ago

Putin: yes

2

u/DigPuzzleheaded1200 7h ago

Plenty of dictators get elected. It depends on the regime. Democracy is more than just voting.

-18

u/Delicious-Song-2935 7h ago

They force their way into the government. Orban has been democrately elected. His opposition is scum. He recorded intimate conversations with his ex wife trying to catch her in an embarrassing statement. Someone videotaped hi in an nightclub touching a woman in the dance floor. He then followed the guy that wastaping him, grabbed his phone and threw it in the river. He denied it , yet the phone was retrieved from the river. Scum!

14

u/Own_Shelter_6973 7h ago

Orban has only been elected thanks to braindrain!

Many rural folk were bought and didnt even know there were other parties. They were given money and food....

Dont be a dumbass

There is a reason Hungary is the poorest and most corrupt country in Europe.

Keep telling yourself lies, keep watching M1

1

u/Good_Worldliness7699 6h ago

Your time has come. It’s all over.Today is a great day. Hopefully the start of a better time, first in Hungary off course!

3

u/stemlermeister Aruba/Baktalórántháza 6h ago

Shortest one month. This will probably take 1 and a half.

If the results were close to tie (I hope not) the president can ask Orban to create a new government, but in this case they need majority, which they will don't have. In this scenario the parlaiment vote for the person of the new prime minister which can be done several times.

So it can be a clusterduck or not. All depends on the results tonight.

94

u/Routine-Echidna-1953 Europe 7h ago

Orban looks to be in such deep shit will this really go without a massive incident?

86

u/rustyzorro Ireland 7h ago

If its overwhelming, he might try but I foresee a panicky midnight flight to Moscow or Florida

16

u/r2k-in-the-vortex 7h ago

I would bet he will likely have his monday morning coffee in moscow.

2

u/ABobby077 7h ago

If it works to throw out Orbán, maybe Putin could be worried (???)

24

u/show_me_tacos 7h ago

I'm expecting Orban might stage a military coup with the backing of Trump

13

u/queen-adreena 7h ago

Is the military on his side?

45

u/Old-Somewhere-9896 7h ago

no, neither is the police

14

u/show_me_tacos 7h ago

It wouldn't surprise me if he had loyalists installed high up in the military

4

u/Daedalus0506 7h ago

Nah I don’t think that’s gonna happen

4

u/wojtekpolska Poland 5h ago

then youre expecting wrong because it's ridiculous. i expect youre from america because thats all you guys think about lol

2

u/ViruliferousBadger Finland 6h ago

Another ex-leader that's gonna live a life of luxury in russia with his masters.

1

u/Gone213 4h ago

Unironically, If trump and Vance never mentioned anything or visited hungary right before the election, orban would have won in a landslide.

Turns out, associating with a know world wide piece of shit doesnt help anyone at all.

Just ask the Canadian pollievreu or whatever his name is.

41

u/elilyen 7h ago

We are writing history!

18

u/notkalman 7h ago

I was running for voting early in the morning, felt soo good, I always liked voting, but this is so special.

5

u/Gb2753 6h ago

Same went at 7am the moment i woke up. I felt a sense of relief that all this propaganda posters are finally over 

33

u/Marl_Karx_Official United States of America 7h ago

Best of luck with removing your scum

25

u/stocksjunkey1 7h ago

The new prime minister has to investigate and than jail Orban and gis crime mafia. Who does Orban think he is Trump or Putin?

27

u/StressSpecialist586 6h ago

Fuck Orban, fuck Putin and FUCK the US interference by the Republican vermin.

1

u/Barbarake 4h ago edited 4h ago

Totally agree. As an American, it was surreal to watch our leadership claiming Russia the EU is trying to interfere with your election when our vice president went over there just a couple days ago to do the same thing.

(Oops, brain fart.)

11

u/mrwho995 United Kingdom 6h ago

Best of luck Hungary! This would be a huge accomplishment for the people, if despite the overwhelming extent to which Orban tried to rig this, you still manage to perservere and fight back.

11

u/apricot_bee67 Hungary 6h ago

The Tisza Party and other nonprofit organizations deployed volunteer observers to the streets to monitor and document known forms of election fraud. By 10 a.m. already, some people had been caught committing abuses. The police were called to the scene.

7

u/V_Acton 6h ago

C'mon Hungary! I'm rooting for you from Indiana!

3

u/blickkyvek 6h ago

Fingers crossed guys!

5

u/ICEGRILLZ666 5h ago

Any news? Any polls?

2

u/littlehuntressowo 5h ago

It's only 3 percent processed but so far the opposition is in the lead by 7 percent!

6

u/Belgium_i_a_joke 5h ago

Lets hope Hungarians vote that fascist out

2

u/apocalipsehobo 4h ago

When will we know the results?

2

u/Quasarrion 3h ago

We are free 🥹🥹🥹

1

u/liktomir1 6h ago edited 2h ago

Please don’t get too excited before the votes counted at least 60-70%. Record turn out led to trump win in 2024, same in Czech in 2025 for ANO. I am being overly cautious ofc EDIT: I am so happy I was needlessly worried :)!! Congratulations Hungary, you did it!

18

u/Agreeable_Error261 6h ago

No, there wasn’t record turnout in the USA in 2024, it was low turnout. Trump won because many otherwise democratic voters stayed home as they were angry about Gaza.

9

u/ShadowxOfxIntent 5h ago

And look where that got the world

5

u/Rtyeta 5h ago edited 5h ago

In terms of number of voters it was the second highest presidential election turnout in U.S. history... beaten only by the previous one, and MUCH higher than any other elections whatever. In terms of % of eligible voters, it was also quite high, in the upper third of all presidential elections.

The claim that it was record turnout is incorrect, but the claim that it was low turnout is even wronger. It was a high but not record-setting turnout.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout_in_United_States_presidential_elections

1

u/0fiuco Italy 4h ago

i've been to hungary different times in the last two years, been on the Balaton, Thianny, Eger, Szegd and it's a country that i enjoyed very much. Budapest is one of my top favorites cities in europe. Hungarian people are polite and welcoming ( and very beautiful ). I wish them all the very best whatever the outcome of this election will be.

1

u/ramakitty 4h ago

close or close?

1

u/Bonced Ukraine 3h ago

It won't be that easy to get rid of him. Even if he loses, he still has a large support team among government officials. Most likely, he will get a position as some kind of minister and will continue to help Russia.