Viktor Orbán faces reckoning as Hungary heads to the polls

Dr Jonathan Eyal, associate director at the Royal United Services Institute, warned against expecting too much from a victorious Magyar at first. He told The Independent that, if he wins, the main task will be to topple the existing structure in the face of fierce resistance. The government has spent years developing quasi-government bodies "deliberately created to interfere with the functioning of a new government", he said. A victorious Tisza would face "guerilla warfare" in the form of disobedience campaigns in the countryside and blockages in parliament. Orbán will have already committed spending to communities, constraining the next leader or forcing him to abandon Fidesz's promises. "Orban has waged two campaigns," he explained. "One was a very direct frontal assault to stop him getting elected. The second one was to plant landmines everywhere to ensure that if he does get elected, he cannot succeed." Magyar's ace card is the claim to the (EURO)19bn frozen by the EU. To ensure he succeeds, Europe will have to release some money before Magyar can start enacting policies to show quick achievements before Orbán can unsettle him, Dr Eyal said.