Hungary's Orban, Trump's close European ally, faces toughest reelection bid in more than a decade

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, among President Donald Trump's closest European allies, is facing his toughest reelection bid in more than a decade – putting at risk what is arguably Trump's most reliable bulwark against what he considers the European Union's longtime efforts to "do damage to the U.S."

Hungarians will go to the polls April 12, and polls show Orbán's Fidesz (Hungarian Civic Union) party running further behind than at any other time since Orbán's current tenure, which began in 2010. The election leader right now is the Tisza (Respect and Freedom) party, founded in 2024.