It looks like the center-right Fidesz party is headed for a convincing majority in the Hungarian parliament, displacing the ruling Socialists. After the first round of voting, Fidesz appears to be within striking distance of a two-thirds majority in the chamber. There will be another round of voting later this month.
What is the agenda of Fidesz? Party leader Viktor Orban explains:
“On this splendid day Hungarians have expressed that Hungary is united, Hungary has power, is able to do great things, it wants, jobs, order and safety, Hungarians have shown to the world that it’s again good to be Hungarian,” he told 2,000 cheering supporters in central Budapest. “I feel it with all my nerves and know it deep in my heart that I face the biggest task of my life. I will need all the Hungarian people to solve that.”
Fidesz, which last ruled between 1998 and 2002, campaigned on cutting taxes, creating jobs and supporting local businesses to boost to Hungary’s economy, which contracted by 6.3 percent last year. Unemployment is running at 11.4 percent.