Hungary sets April 3 general election

Jan. 11 (UPI) — Hungary will hold an election on April 3 for a new Parliament, President János Áder said Tuesday.

“This year, for the ninth time, Hungarian citizens with voting rights will be free to decide whom they will entrust with the management of our common affairs,” he said in a statement, reported by the Budapest Times.

“Hungary’s 7.8 million voters will have the opportunity to cast two ballots in the single-round election deciding 199 seats.”

He added that under the law, Parliament must be chosen by May 3 at the latest.

The race is likely to become a showdown between longtime incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s ruling Fidesz Party, and a now-unified opposition.

Orbán and his party will likely face a six-party opposite coalition that has selected Péter Márki-Zay as a candidate for prime minister.

The race will likely determine whether Hungary will return to the European mainstream, or move closer to Beijing.