Hungarian president sets date for parliamentary elections

Hungarian President Tamás Sulyok has set the date for parliamentary elections on April 12, his office announced on Tuesday.

The elections will be an important test for Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. For the first time since coming to power in 2010, he faces a strong challenger from the opposition. That challenger is Péter Magyar, who heads the center-right party and is currently leading in most polls.

Orbán's government has dominated Hungarian politics for more than a decade, but voter sentiment is changing, according to polls, and the contest with Magyar is shaping up to be the closest since Orbán's return to power.

(reuters, lud)