Is Hungarian leader and MAGA darling Viktor Orbán about to be ousted?

World Is strongman leader and MAGA darling Viktor Orbán about to be ousted? What to know ahead of Hungary's elections By Emmet Lyons Emmet Lyons Producer Emmet Lyons is a news desk editor at the CBS News London bureau, coordinating and producing stories for all CBS News platforms. Prior to joining CBS News, Emmet worked as a producer at CNN for four years. Read Full Bio Emmet Lyons Updated on: April 11, 2026 / 6:07 AM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Budapest – After nearly two decades in power, Hungary's far-right prime minister Viktor Orbán could be ousted as leader in the country's parliamentary elections on Sunday. The latest polls indicate that Orbán, a key international ally of President Trump, and his ruling Fidesz party are trailing the opposition center-right Tisza Party and its leader Péter Magyar in an election that will be closely watched by observers on both sides of the Atlantic. Independent watchdogs and European Union officials have accused Orbán's government of launching a sustained assault on the country's democratic institutions and rule of law since he took office in 2010. In the 16 years since he took office, the country has descended to the rank of most corrupt country in the European Union, according to the U.K.-based anti-corruption group Transparency International. Orbán has used his party's current supermajority in Hungarian parliament to undermine the independence of the judiciary, crack down on independent media, demonize migrants and discriminate against LGBTQ people, Human Rights Watch has said. Orbán has also become known for making publicly xenophobic and racist statements, calling refugees "Muslim invaders" and saying Hungarians do not want to become a "mixed race." Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán speaks at a rally in Budapest on April 7, 2026.  Jonathan Ernst / POOL /AFP via Getty Images Freedom House, a democracy-oriented U.S.-based no...