After nearly 16 years at the helm of the country, Orbán has been trailing for months in independent polls, against a backdrop of economic stagnation, growing dissatisfaction with public services, and scandals linked to child protection issues.

The political movement Tisza, led by Péter Magyar—a former Orbán ally who has since become one of his fiercest critics—is currently ahead of the Hungarian prime minister’s Fidesz party.

“Since last spring, independent surveys have shown a stable double-digit lead for Tisza, at around 50%, while Fidesz stands at approximately 35%,” Szabolcs Pek, an analyst at the Hungarian Iranytu Institute, told Agence France-Presse, while noting that “there are still around 90 days left until the vote.”

“I have set the date of the 2026 parliamentary elections. The vote will take place on Sunday, April 12, 2026,” Hungary’s President Tamás Sulyok announced today via Facebook, formalizing a date that had already been circulating.

The election campaign, however, has already been underway for months, with Magyar traveling across the country, while Orbán has visited Washington and Moscow and stepped up his campaign promises.

According to recent polls, aside from Fidesz and Tisza, the far-right party “Our Homeland” is also expected to win parliamentary seats, while all other parties—including the center-left Democratic Coalition—remain below the 5% threshold required to enter parliament.