WorldAnalysis: As polls tighten, Hungary s Orban steps up pre-election spending
Gergely Szakacs
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Hungary s Prime Minister Viktor Orban speaks as he arrives to attend a face-to-face EU summit amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown in Brussels, Belgium December 10, 2020. John Thys/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
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Ahead of an election next year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is spending money on key groups of voters as opinion polls show a neck-and-neck race with an opposition united against him for the first time.
The right-wing premier, in power since 2010, is under pressure to reopen the economy after a pandemic-driven crash that sent Hungary into its worst recession since the global financial crisis, ending seven years of steady growth.
ANALYSIS-As polls tighten, Hungary s Orban steps up pre-election spending Reuters 2/4/2021 Orban s Fidesz says it is extending decade-long policies Latest polls show neck-and-neck race with united opposition
By Gergely Szakacs
BUDAPEST, Feb 4 (Reuters) - Ahead of an election next year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is spending money on key groups of voters as opinion polls show a neck-and-neck race with an opposition united against him for the first time.
The right-wing premier, in power since 2010, is under pressure to reopen the economy after a pandemic-driven crash that sent Hungary into its worst recession since the global financial crisis, ending seven years of steady growth.
Feb. 4, 2021
Ahead of an election next year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is spending money on key groups of voters as opinion polls show a neck-and-neck race with an opposition united against him for the first time.
The right-wing premier, in power since 2010, is under pressure to reopen the economy after a pandemic-driven crash that sent Hungary into its worst recession since the global financial crisis, ending seven years of steady growth.
A tally by news website hvg.hu showed about a quarter of the spending channelled via a $12 billion COVID recovery fund last year was linked to the pandemic as Orban spent on other items, including support for ethnic Hungarians living elsewhere in central Europe, who backed him in previous elections.
5 Min Read
BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Ahead of an election next year, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban is spending money on key groups of voters as opinion polls show a neck-and-neck race with an opposition united against him for the first time.
FILE PHOTO: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban holds an international news conference in Budapest, Hungary, January 9, 2020. REUTERS/Tamas Kaszas
The right-wing premier, in power since 2010, is under pressure to reopen the economy after a pandemic-driven crash that sent Hungary into its worst recession since the global financial crisis, ending seven years of steady growth.
A tally by news website hvg.hu showed about a quarter of the spending channelled via a $12 billion COVID recovery fund last year was linked to the pandemic as Orban spent on other items, including support for ethnic Hungarians living elsewhere in central Europe, who backed him in previous elections.