Orban on the brink – but his rival may spring a surprise on the EU
In the 16 years since he became prime minister of Hungary for a second time, no one has come close to unseating Viktor Orban. But if polls are to be believed, one man may have found the solution to defeat the EU’s most authoritarian and pro-Putin leader: become him. Péter Magyar is the front-runner in an April 12 election that is a two-man race with the nationalist conservative Mr Orban, who is gunning for a fifth straight election win. Mr Magyar is no woke liberal. He is determined not to be seen as a Europhile centrist like other opposition leaders who have tried and failed to beat the Eurosceptic prime minister. Peter Magyar is trying not to come across as too much pro-EU and pro-Ukraine – but time will tell if he wins the Hungarian elections – Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty “I know the guy,” an EU diplomat in Brussels said of Mr Magyar. “Ten years ago, he was in the Hungarian embassy. We used to call him ‘Baby Orban’. “He’s at pains to avoid …