Orban on the brink: could Hungary’s election dent China’s influence in Europe?
‘Most consequential’ vote is being pitched as a referendum on whether the country should move towards the East or West
For Brussels, meanwhile, a Magyar victory would raise hopes that Budapest may move closer to the EU centre, ousting a member state that has repeatedly blocked efforts to sanction Russia and China over political and human rights disputes.
In a show of solidarity with Orban, US Vice-President J.D. Vance is expected to visit Hungary this week – a demonstration of the ideological alliance Orban has struck up with the Maga movement, for which the five-term prime minister has become a poster boy.
“Hungary is a small but proud country – people say our elections are the most consequential in Europe and I agree,” said Tamas Matura, an associate professor specialising in China at Corvinus University of Budapest.