Viktor Orban, the country's longest-serving prime minister, sees his 15-year-long rule challenged by an upstart — Peter Magyar. And the rallies that took place in Budapest on a national holiday commemorating Hungary's 1956 anti-Soviet uprising shed some light on the divide between the two camps.

Hungary's government submitted draft bills late on Tuesday which could force opposition parties to link up to fight an election and reduces transparency over public money, prompting a withering rebuke from the opposition.

The Hungarian leader also has vehemently opposed Ukraine’s ambitions to join the 27-nation EU and has argued for an immediate ceasefire in the conflict, though he hasn’t addressed what that might imply for Ukraine’s territorial integrity or European security amid continuing Russian aggression.

With the ballot approaching in April, long-serving Prime Minister Viktor Orbán — trailing in most polls to his main political rival, Péter Magyar — hopes to use Thursday's show of force to reinvigorate his base that has had its confidence shaken by a series of political scandals and years of high prices and economic stagnation.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he saw little scope for accelerated economic growth before Russia’s war on Ukraine ends, climbing down from optimistic forecasts before elections next year.

David Graham of The Atlantic reports on Trump administration efforts to undermine US elections. He tells Bianna Golodryga, “we need to stand up for the Constitution and make sure these rules hold.”

Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Tuesday his government would launch a pension top-up from January 1, stepping up his political campaign ahead of elections in 2026. Orban said in a Facebook post that the so called "14th-month pension" would be introduced in several steps.