By Mukesh 
Hungarians were casting ballots on Sunday (April 12, 2026) in what is widely seen as Europe’s most consequential election this year, a vote that could unseat populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, after 16 years in power.
It’s a key moment for Mr. Orban, the European Union’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists, who has travelled a long road from his early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand to the Russia-friendly nationalist admired today by the global far-right.