Orban's Hungary: Scandals, Allies, and Democracy's Test

0:00It's April 7th, Sydney news today starts now, AI-powered and ready. I'm Cory with the story. Hungary's Prime Minister Victor Orban, whose hell-power for 16 years is battling for survival in an election packed with scandals like leaked. Sex tapes, wiretaps, and spying claims. The 62-year-old conservative icon faces challenger Peter Magyar, a former insider-turned-rival, with polls showing Orban trailing by up to. J.D. Vance jetted into Budapest this week to rally for Orban, embracing him publicly and declaring full support from him and Donald Trump. They hit a massive crowd together, even patching and trump on speakerphone, as Vance swiped to EU bureaucrats for meddling in Hungary's economy and energy. Orban's drawn fire for banning LGBT pride events, curbing press freedom, tilting the courts and ramping up anti-immigration talk that's turned. Xenophobic. His EU clashes have sparked economic pain at home.

1:01Yet he's locked in fans abroad, from Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu to Trump allies who see. Hungary as a blueprint for right-wing wins. New reports expose Orban's cozy Moscow ties, like his foreign minister passing EU secrets to Russia and lobbying to live sanctions. He's blocked billions in EUA to Ukraine over oil pipeline gripes. While his Fidesz party faces cash revotes accusations and gerrymandering claims that tilt the field his way. As election day nears, experts fear Orban won't gracefully bow out if he loses, just like in 2002 and 2006. Maggar pushes moderate reforms to realign with Europe, but Hungary's democracy tests whether the old guard clings on or fresh blood takes the throne.