Hungary at polls in key election that could unseat Orban after 16 years

Viktor Orban is the European Union’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists

Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban prepares to cast his ballot at a polling station in Budapest (Petr David Josek/AP)

Hungarians are casting ballots in what is widely seen as Europe’s most consequential election this year, a vote that could unseat populist Prime Minister Viktor Orban, an ally of US President Donald Trump, after 16 years in power.

It is a key moment for Mr Orban, the European Union’s longest-serving leader and one of its biggest antagonists, who has travelled a long road from his early days as a liberal, anti-Soviet firebrand to the Russia-friendly nationalist admired today by the global far-right.