Hungarians cast ballots on Sunday in what is being described as Europe's most consequential election this year, a vote that could unseat populist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán after 16 years in power.

Polls opened at 6 a.m. and closed at 7 p.m., with initial results expected Sunday night. Orbán and his top challenger, Péter Magyar, arrived at separate polling stations in Budapest at nearly the same time to cast their votes. Speaking to reporters outside, Orbán, 62, said the campaign had been "a great national moment on our side" and thanked activists and supporters for their work. "I'm here to win," he said.

Turnout by 6:30 p.m. was over 77%, according to the National Election Office, a record number in any election in Hungary's post-Communist history. With still two hours until polls closed, 140,000 more voters had cast their ballot than during the entirety of the 2022 elections.

What the Left Is Saying

Progressive and pro-Western observers see this election as a referendum on Hungary's democratic future. Péter Magyar, the 45-year-old leader of the center-right Tisza party who leads in independent polls, framed the choice as "a choice between East or West, propaganda or honest public discourse, corruption or clean public life."

Magyar has campaigned on issues affecting ordinary voters including Hungary's faltering public health care and transportation sectors and what he describes as rampant government corruption. In an interview with The Associated Press earlier this month, Magyar said the election will be a "referendum" on whether Hungary continues on its drift toward Russia under Orbán, or can retake its place among the democratic societies of Europe.

Supporters of Magyar argue that Orbán's control of Hungary's public media, which he has transformed into a mouthpiece for his party, along with vast swaths of the private media market, give him an unfair advantage. They also point to what they describe as gerrymandering of Hungary's 106 voting districts by Fidesz, which would require Tisza to gain an estimated 5% more votes than Orbán's party to achieve a simple majority.

Many in the European Union who see Orbán as a danger to the bloc's future hope he loses and that a new Hungarian government under Magyar will prove a better partner. They point to Orbán's repeated blocking of EU decisions, most recently blocking a 90-billion euro ($104 billion) EU loan to Ukraine.

What the Right Is Saying

Orbán and his supporters frame the election as a choice between national sovereignty and foreign interference. After casting his vote, Orbán told reporters he was "here to win" and thanked activists and supporters for their work.

Members of Trump's "Make America Great Again" movement have endorsed Orbán's government and his Fidesz political party as shining examples of conservative, anti-globalist politics in action. U.S. Vice President JD Vance made a two-day visit to Hungary last week meant to help push Orbán's reelection bid.

Orbán has repeatedly frustrated EU efforts to support Ukraine in its war against Russia's full-scale invasion, while cultivating close ties to President Vladimir Putin and refusing to end Hungary's dependence on Russian fossil fuel imports. He has accused neighboring Ukraine, as well as Hungary's allies in the EU, of seeking to interfere in the vote to install a "pro-Ukraine" government.

After winning four consecutive elections with a two-thirds majority for his party in Parliament, Orbán has positioned himself as a defender of Hungarian sovereignty against what he characterizes as EU overreach and foreign pressure.

What the Numbers Show

Turnout by 6:30 p.m. was over 77%, a record number in any election in Hungary's post-Communist history. By that time, 140,000 more voters had cast their ballot than during the entirety of the 2022 elections.

Hungary has a population of 9.5 million, making it one of the smaller EU countries.

Tisza won 30% of the vote in European Parliament elections in 2024, and Magyar took a seat as an EU lawmaker. Tisza is a member of the European People's Party, the mainstream, center-right political family with leaders governing 12 of the EU's 27 nations.

Orbán has been Hungary's prime minister for 16 years, making him the European Union's longest-serving leader.

The unilateral transformation of Hungary's electoral system by Fidesz means Tisza would need an estimated 5% more votes than Orbán's party to achieve a simple majority in Parliament.

Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Hungarians in neighboring countries have the right to vote in Hungarian elections and traditionally have voted overwhelmingly for Orbán's party.

The Bottom Line

This election represents a pivotal moment for Hungary and potentially for the European Union. If Orbán loses, it would end the tenure of the EU's longest-serving leader and could shift Hungary's alignment away from Russia and back toward Western European democratic norms.

If Orbán wins, he will continue his adversarial relationship with EU institutions while maintaining close ties to both Moscow and the Trump administration's MAGA movement. The outcome will likely have implications for EU decision-making, particularly on Ukraine policy where Orbán has repeatedly used his veto power.

The record turnout suggests strong public engagement in what many Hungarians see as a defining election. Results are expected Sunday night, and international observers will be watching closely given the broader implications for European political dynamics.

What to watch for: whether Tisza can overcome structural advantages enjoyed by Fidesz, how the EU responds to the result, and whether Orbán will accept the outcome if he loses, given his history of challenging institutional norms.