49-year-old Conservative outsider Peter Marki-Zay won by far the opposition primary in Hungary on Sunday and will face outgoing Prime Minister Viktor Orban in 2022, partial results show.
Marki-Zay, 49, a practicing Catholic and father of seven, won around 58% of the vote, according to the primary election commission, while 60% of the ballots were counted.
"We want a new, cleaner, more honest Hungary, not just to replace Orban,"
he said in a victory speech, referring to the sovereignist in power since 2010.
He praised the unprecedented process of the primary, which made it possible to select candidates from all over the country,
"capable of getting rid of the most corrupt system in the thousand-year-old history of Hungary"
in the legislative elections, scheduled for April next.
Her competitor, the center-left pro-European lawyer Klara Dobrev, won 42% of the vote.
"I support Marki-Zay now,"
she said, quickly admitting defeat.
The final results are to be announced later in the evening.
The primary was to nominate the candidate for the post of head of government, but also to the deputation in each of the constituencies.