(VOVWORLD) - Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok announced on Tuesday that parliamentary elections will be held on April 12.
 Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (Photo: REUTERS) |
The announcement comes as Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and his nationalist Fidesz party trail the opposition Tisza Party in most recent independent polls, marking the most serious challenge to Orbán’s leadership since he took office in 2010.
Prime Minister Orbán, the longest-serving leader in the European Union, was re-elected in 2010 after previously serving one term from 1998 to 2002.
Tisza Party leader Péter Magyar, 44, has risen rapidly in Hungarian politics in less than two years, gaining strong public support. He has pledged to steer Hungary back toward closer alignment with NATO and the European Union.