Budapest, 12 April 2026 (dpa/MIA) - Turnout in the first five hours of Hungary's parliamentary election on Sunday was very high, with nearly 38% of eligible voters already casting their ballots - way above the previous vote, the central election authority said.

During the last parliamentary election in 2022 the comparable figure was 25.8%. The government-critical portal hvg.hu called it an "absolute record."

The election is seen as the most important voter decision since the democratic transition of 1989-90 and will decide whether the right-wing populist Viktor Orbán's government continues or ends. According to recent polls, Orbán's challenger Péter Magyar has a good chance of winning the election.

Photo: epa