BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - Hungarians cast their ballots in a national election Sunday, a test of whether Prime Minister Viktor Orban -a fierce nationalist and leading figure on the European right-will retain his lock on parliament following a campaign in which he denounced immigrants and international institutions.
Orban, seeking his fourth term in power, is heavily favored to win, though projections wavered in recent weeks as corruption scandals and last-minute attempts to unite Hungary's divided opposition led some analysts to scale back their predictions of an incumbent victory.
Mr. Orban's party Fidesz is facing more than 20 different rivals on the ballot, ranging from centrist Politics Can Be Different faction to the ultranationalist Jobbik party.
The Hungarian leader lined the country's southern border with barbed wire in 2015, becoming a hero to Europe's nativist movements, the signature accomplishment he hopes will give him a landslide victory similar those he won in 2010 and 2014. A series of constitutional changes favor his party: Fidesz helped draw the voting districts and eliminated runoffs, giving the party an edge over its fractured opponents. Polls project it to get close to 50% of the vote.
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