Hungary’s PM wins third term after anti-migrant campaign

HUNGARY’S firebrand nationalist prime minister Viktor Orban won a third consecutive term last night after a fiercely anti- immigrant election campaign.

In what would be a nightmare scenario for the European Union, which has repeatedly clashed with Mr Orban, he may even have narrowly secured a ‘supermajority’ in parliament.

This is the two-thirds control of the 199seat legislature that has previously allowed him to enforce tough antimigrant policies, as well as cracking down on the judiciary, political opposition and the Press. Exit polls last night suggested his right-wing Fidesz party had secured just under 50 per cent of the votes.

This was projected to translate to 134 seats in parliament, narrowly securing the two-thirds needed to assume virtual dictatorial powers once again.

The opposition Jobbik, which had moved to a more centrist position after being on the far-Right, was set to win 26 seats from 20 per cent of the votes. The Socialists were expected to come third with 20 seats, in an election which saw a record 68 per cent voter turnout. This turnout was nine percentage points higher than the last election in 2014.

Mr Orban campaigned almost exclusively on his unyielding anti-migration policies. He claims the opposition is collaborating with the UN, the EU and philanthropist George Soros to turn Hungary into an ‘immigrant country’, threatening its security and Christian identity.

In February the UN’s top human rights official, Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, accused Mr Orban of outright xenophobia and racism. Mr Orban refused to debate with his opponents during the campaign or speak to the independent media, speaking instead at rallies for his supporters. At his final rally on Friday he said: ‘Migration is like rust that slowly but surely would consume Hungary.’

Under Mr Orban, Hungary built a fence along its borders with Serbia and Croatia in 2015 to stop migrants entering the country.

He is an avowed Eurosceptic who opposes further EU integration. He refused to take part in the EU’s refugee resettlement programme and has praised Vladimir Putin.