Hungary, snapshots from polling station 49 in Budapest: turnout is at an all-time high
In the capital's suburbs, those who vote Tisza are optimistic. But for a certain victory Magyar needs a lead of at least five points over Orban
FROM OUR SENDER - On Ifjumunkas Street in Budapest, the primary school named after Hungarian writer Dezso Kosztolanyi now houses polling stations 49 and 48. Here, the splendid Art Nouveau buildings of the city centre give way to the more anonymous slums of the suburbs, but we are still just a stone's throw from the Mvm Dome, the sports hall where last Tuesday JD Vance, Vice-President of the United States, held his rally alongside his 'friend' Viktor Orban, to support his re-election bid.
At 9am the bustle of voters in Ifjumunkas Street is brisk, the sunny morning helps. According to data from the Hungarian National Election Office, at 11am the turnout has already reached an all-time high: for the challenge between Viktor Orban and Peter Magyar 37.98% of voters have already voted. In the previous parliamentary elections in 2022, the voter turnout at the same time was 25.77%. And the high turnout, goes the experts' mantra, is pulling the wool over Tisza's challengers' eyes.
Istvan Pintye is 47 years old and is at seat 48 as a list representative of Peter Magyar's movement. Istvan is an activist from the first hour of the Tisza Islands, the movement's grassroots cells that sprung up on Facebook to support the candidacy of Orban's rival: 'I am optimistic,' he says, 'this is a district that stands with Tisza. I joined the movement because I no longer want to live in a country where in order to have a licence or certain services you have to belong to Fidesz, the premier's party'.
Outside the polling station, the younger ones talk happily, are not afraid to say they voted for Magyar because they want change, and assure that Gen Z will vote en masse. It is easy to see who, coming out of the polling station, has instead just voted for Orban: they are the ones who prefer not to say anything and go straight. Even the Fidesz list representatives are tight-lipped.
With polls still giving the challenger Magyar the lead by more than 12-13 points, not even at Orban's headquarters feel like overturning the numbers.
