![Prime Minister Viktor Orban, center, during a Fidesz party press conference after nationwide local elections, Budapest, Hungary, Oct. 13, 2019 (MTI photo by Szilard Koszticsak via AP).](https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/l_hungary-orban-10312019-1.jpg?w=519&h=259&crop=1)
Hungary’s populist prime minister, Viktor Orban, and his right-wing Fidesz party incurred significant losses in local elections earlier this month, as opposition candidates won control in 11 of the country’s 23 major cities, unseating several Fidesz-backed incumbents. In an email interview with WPR, Péter Krekó, executive director of Political Capital, a Budapest-based policy research and consulting institute, explains how opposition parties were able to notch so many wins against Fidesz and why, in addition to a setback for his party, the elections were a personal blow for Orban. World Politics Review: What allowed so many opposition candidates to unseat incumbents […]