Orbán's Grip on Hungary at Stake in Election

0:00It's April 10th. This is Canada News today, AI-powered stories from your city. I'm Cory with the story. Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orbán, whose rule for 16 years, faces a real chance of losing power in Sunday's elections. The 62-year-old started as a liberal anti-communist youth leader, but shifted hard right into nationalism. Poles show him trailing by double digits against Peter Magyar and his center-right-tiseparty, even after a boost from U.S. President J.D. Vance's recent visit. Orbán first rose in the late 80s, co-founding Fadez as an anti-Soviet group and demanding troops leave Hungary. He became one of Europe's youngest prime ministers at 35 in 1998, but after a loss, he remade his party into a conservative, powerhouse. By 2010, he won a supermajority, rewriting the Constitution, tweaking elections, and funneling public funds to allies. Members in rural areas and among older voters see him as a champion of Christian values

1:02and borders against migration and EU overreach. Critics blast his grip on media, his side controls most outlets, and call hungry in electoral autocracy. The EU has frozen billions and funds over rule of law issues, while he's clashed with Brussels on everything from courts to LGBTQ rights. In this campaign, Orbán's heading back with disinformation floods and AI-generated attack ads, warning a bankruptcy and war if he falls. Reports hint at Russian meddling to help him, including his foreign minister leaking EU secrets to Moscow, claims Hungary denies. Magyars rallying crowds against that pro-Russia tilt. Sundays vote boils down to Hungary's path, deeper into Orbán's nationalist mold, or back toward open democracy in Europe. Whatever happens, it'll shake the EU and far-right circles worldwide.