The vote could end Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s 16-year hold on power and send shockwaves through right-wing circles across Europe and beyond, according to political analysts.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said the Hungarian election could mark a turning point for Europe following a recent wave of gains by pro-Russian and Eurosceptic groups.
Orban, a nationalist Eurosceptic, has promoted what he calls an "illiberal democracy," a model seen by some as an inspiration for supporters of US President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement.
However, many Hungarians have grown increasingly dissatisfied after years of economic stagnation and rising living costs, as well as reports that business figures close to the government have accumulated significant wealth, the Reuters news agency reported.
Opinion polls show Orban's Fidesz party trailing Peter Magyar’s centre-right opposition Tisza party by 7 to 9 percentage points, with Tisza polling at around 38 percent to 41 percent, according to Reuters.
Voting for the 199-seat parliament began at 6 a.m. local time and was due to end at 7 p.m.
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Source: Reuters, IAR, PAP