Hungary: EU poll fears as far-right support rises

Gabor Vona, leader of Hungarys farright Jobbik party, which denies being racist. Picture: AFP/Getty Images

A FIFTH of Hungarian voters have backed an ­ultra-nationalist opposition party accused of anti-Semitism, election results showed yesterday, in what ­commentators said could be an indication of how other far-right groups will fare in the European elections next month.

Prime minister Viktor Orban and his populist Fidesz party have won another four years in power. Mr Orban, 50, has said his government has turned around a near-collapse of the economy in a crisis on a par with Greece; critics claim Hungary has pursued a series of highly unorthodox policies.

He has also clashed repeatedly with the European Union (EU) and foreign investors. After Sunday’s win, big businesses were bracing for another term of unpredictable and, for some of them, hostile measures. But many voters back Mr Orban, a former dissident against communist rule, as a champion of national interests.

Many benefited from a cut in income tax and household power bills under the centre-right Fidesz, which is allied with minor partner the Christian Democrats.

But teachers and civil servants live in fear of their jobs if they speak out against major reforms which have made their lives more difficult, say reports.

After 99 per cent of the ballots were counted from Sunday’s parliamentary vote, an official projection yesterday gave Fidesz 133 of 199 seats, guaranteeing it will form the next government.

That tally also gave Fidesz the two-thirds majority needed for it to change the constitution, but only by one seat – the final results could still push the party back below the threshold. The same projection also gave the Socialist-led leftist alliance 38 seats, while far-right Jobbik was on 23 seats.

“We have scored … a comprehensive victory, the significance of which we cannot yet fully grasp,” Mr Orban told a jubilant crowd at his party’s election headquarters.

Hardline nationalist Jobbik’s performance is being watched closely for clues about how other nationalist right-wing parties, such as France’s Front Nationale and the Netherlands’ Party for Freedom, will perform in European Parliament elections next month.

In terms of its share of the national vote on party lists, Jobbik won 20.54 per cent, up from 15.86 per ce