Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban suffered his biggest political setback in a decade on Sunday, when an opposition candidate became mayor of Budapest by defeating an incumbent backed by the ruling party.
Gergely Karacsony, a 44-year-old liberal, triumphed over István Tarlos, an Orban ally, by 50 percent to about 44 percent, according to preliminary results. Tarlos called Karacsony to congratulate him on his victory, a campaign official said.
The opposition’s success in Budapest and in local elections elsewhere in the country came after a wide range of parties and grassroots groups — from liberals to greens, socialists to conservatives — agreed to put aside their differences and run joint candidates for mayoral and district posts in an effort to weaken the ruling Fidesz party’s hold on power.
Via Politico
