Before losing in an earthquake election this week to bring an end to his 16-year rule, Viktor Orbán was the dominant force in Hungary’s political life for two decades, commanding the loyalty and admiration of millions.
The European Union’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists, the outgoing prime minister took a long road from his early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand to the Russia-friendly nationalist admired by the global far right today.
Though Orbán was defeated in a landslide by the centre-right Tisza party and its leader, the pro-European reformer Péter Magyar, many of his followers still see him as one of the greatest leaders in Hungary’s history, and he retains a significant base of support
More than 2.3 million people cast ballots for Orbán’s nationalist-populist Fidesz party.
Standing out among Orbán’s believers is Ákos Szilágyi, one of the prime minister’s most prominent and visible backers.
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