Opposition stagnating in polls

In a comment on recent opinion polls, a centrist political scientist thinks that opposition parties still have some chance to prevent the victory of Fidesz in the 2018 election. A conservative columnist is more sceptical – he thinks that the opposition lacks a credible vision.

The 2018 Parliamentary elections are not yet won by Fidesz, Gábor Török comments on the latest opinion polls. Although Fidesz is still by far the most popular party, the majority of the electorate would favour a change, the centrist analyst points out. 52 per cent want to replace Fidesz, while only 41 per cent of voters would prefer to keep the incumbent government in place after 2018. According to Török these numbers suggest that if the fragmented opposition could unite and support joint candidates, it would still be able to prevent Fidesz returning to power.

Heti Válasz editor-in-chief Gábor Borókai, on the other hand, doubts that possibility. The conservative columnist believes that the opposition parties lack a narrative that could offer voters an alternative to the vision put forward by Fidesz. Borókai adds that Hungary’s improving economic outlook makes it even more unlikely for the opposition parties to be successful in challenging the ruling party.

Tags: 2018, Fidesz, opposition