Hungary opposition makes gains, raising stakes for Orban -poll
BUDAPEST, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Hungary's united opposition retained a four-point lead ahead of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling Fidesz in a November survey by the think tank Zavecz Research, which also showed a decline in the ranks of the undecided ahead of a national election. For the first time since taking power in a 2010 landslide, the 58-year-old Orban will face a united front of opposition parties on the ballot, likely to be held in April, that includes the Democratic Coalition, the Socialists, liberals and the formerly far-right, and now centre-right, Jobbik. Amid a surge in inflation that is forcing the central bank to raise interest rates substantially higher than previously expected, Orban announced a cap on fuel prices as of Monday to shield consumers from further sharp price rises. Orban's latest step follows a $2-billion tax rebate for families in 2022, paying an extra month's worth of pensions, scrapping the income tax for career starters and other pre-election measures which have triggered a surge in the deficit. The Zavecz poll, conducted between Nov. 2 and 12 and published by the HVG.hu news site, showed the opposition alliance boosting its support by two points to 41% of voters, while support for Fidesz grew by the same extent, to 37%. The ranks of the undecided fell sharply, to 14% from 23% a month ago, when opposition primaries to pick Orban's challenger next year ended with the shock victory of Peter Marki-Zay, an energetic political outsider. Another November survey by the pro-government think tank Nezopont showed a comfortable lead for Fidesz among decided voters, while the liberal think tank Republikon put the opposition ahead by six points in a late-October survey. DATE AGENCY FIDESZ OPPOSITION UNDECIDED Nov 2-12 Zavecz 37% 41% 14% Nov 2-3 Nezopont 56% 42% 2% Oct 25-29 Republikon 32% 38% 30% Oct 11-19 Zavecz 35% 39% 23% Sep 29-Oct 4 Median 37% 37% 17% Oct Szazadveg 50% 44% 6% Sept Zavecz 37% 38% 23% Sep 20-21 Nezopont 53% 45% n/a Aug 23-25 Nezopont 52% 46% n/a NOTE: Fidesz -- ruling nationalist party in power since 2010. The six-party opposition alliance includes the leftist Democratic Coalition, the Socialist Party. the former far-right Jobbik party, and the smaller green and liberal LMP, Parbeszed (Dialogue) and Momentum parties. (Reporting by Gergely Szakacs, Editing by Nick Zieminski)
