Hungary sets election for April 3 in big challenge to Orban

By JUSTIN SPIKE
Associated Press

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s president says the country will hold a parliamentary election on April 3. The vote will decide whether right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban will keep power after 12 years in office. President Janos Ader made the announcement on the election date on his website Tuesday. April 3 is the earliest date allowed by law. It will be the ninth election since Hungary’s democratic transition from a communist state in 1990. Six opposition parties that range from the liberal left to the far right have banded together as a single bloc to challenge Orban. They argue unity is the only way to counter unfair election laws and Orban’s control of large portions of the media.