AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
It's Election Day in Hungary. Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who is seeking his fifth consecutive term, is facing a challenge from a former ally who's comfortably leading in many other polls. But the electoral system there is tilted in Orban's favor. Esme Nicholson is reporting from Budapest and joins us now. Thanks for being with us.
ESME NICHOLSON, BYLINE: Thanks for having me, Ayesha.
RASCOE: Hungary has just 9 million people, and yet the world has its eyes on this election. Why is that?
NICHOLSON: Well, domestically, this election is about the economy, which is stagnant. Inflation is high, and ordinary Hungarians are really struggling to make ends meet while they watch Viktor Orban, the prime minister and his inner circle, appear to get visibly richer. And discontent about this apparent disparity is something that Orban's challenger, Peter Magyar, has seized upon. And he says he's going to root out corruption and cronyism and reinstate major pillars of democracy that would see the European Union restart its funding for Hungary, which is an economic lifeline.
Now, the international interest you're talking about has much more to do with Viktor Orban's so-called Budapest playbook, which is kind of a step-by-step guide for populists, MAGA included, on how to build what Orban calls an illiberal democracy. Now, what is that? What is an illiberal democracy? Well, over the past 16 years, Orban has shown how to consolidate power by taking control of the media. He's weakened the judiciary, he's passed sweeping constitutional reforms and he's gerrymandered the electoral system to his advantage. So this election really is a test of that playbook and more broadly of illiberal populism.
RASCOE: And give us some more detail on his challenger.
NICHOLSON: Sure. Peter Magyar. He's 45. And as I said, he's running on an anti-corruption ticket. He's promising to invest money into Hungary's crumbling health care and education systems. And he's a viable candidate, precisely because he's also from the center right. He's not a liberal and he's by no means progressive, and that's kind of his secret weapon. But, you know, this is no easy task because he's running in a system that is essentially stacked against any opposition.
RASCOE: Tell us about that system. How free are Hungary's elections now after 16 years under Orban?
NICHOLSON: Well, here's the crux - Hungary's elections are considered free, but they're not considered fair. Orban has redrawn the electoral map so that small rural constituencies play an oversized role in deciding the result. Why? Well, because these constituencies are home to Orban's voter base, which is older and consumes traditional media, which Orban more or less controls. So to compete, his challenger, Peter Magyar, has spent the election campaign out in the countryside, walking miles in some cases, to talk to Fidesz voters, Orban's party, to his voters, that he's unable to reach via traditional media.
Analysts do say, though, that the impact of this door-to-door campaign might well be limited. And there are also reports that the Kremlin has dispatched a team to help Orban at the ballot boxes today. And, of course, Vice President JD Vance was here last week endorsing Orban, while in the same breath accusing Brussels of foreign interference. So there will likely be a battle of narratives when the election results roll in later today.
RASCOE: That's Esme Nicholson, reporting from Budapest. Esme, thank you so much.
NICHOLSON: Thanks for having me, Ayesha. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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