Enlarge image
In the election, Marki-Zay got 56.71 percent of the vote
Photo:
Laszlo Balogh / AP
The conservative and non-party outsider Peter Marki-Zay will challenge the right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as an opposition candidate in the parliamentary election in 2022.
The 49-year-old won a primary organized by the opposition with a clear lead over his social democratic rival Klara Dobrev, as the pre-election commission announced on Sunday evening after all votes were counted.
Accordingly, Marki-Zay got 56.71 percent of the vote and Dobrev 43.29 percent.
This is the first time such a code has taken place in Hungary.
Six previously divided opposition parties - from the left-green to the right-wing conservative - are supposed to support the winner in the election campaign against Orbán.
"Today we also changed the opposition," said Marki-Zay.
The opposition can only succeed in defeating Orbán if they work together.
"The way out is neither right nor left, only up," he added.
He agreed with Dobrev that the cohesion of the opposition could not be destroyed.
Conservatism as a strength
Marki-Zay's strength: Experts consider the 49-year-old to be a serious opponent of Orbán, as the devout father of seven could also address conservative voters in the vote next year.
At the same time, he does not scare off the urban, more left-wing voters of the big cities, because he should also be cosmopolitan, tolerant and able to compromise.
Marki-Zay has announced that he will reverse controversial Orbán laws and introduce the euro in Hungary.
Marki-Zay studied economics, electrical engineering and history.
From 2004 to 2009 he lived with his family in Canada and the USA.
He only got into politics in 2018.
At that time he won - also surprisingly - the mayoral election in Hodmezövasarhely.
Until then, the place was considered an impregnable stronghold of the Orbán party Fidesz.
The following year he repeated the election victory.
kim / dpa / Reuters