Tens of thousands of supporters rallied in Budapest on Sunday in support of removing Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban with a centre-left opposition alliance at next weekend's election.
Orban's governing right-wing Fidesz party appears to have an unassailable lead in opinion polls, gaining between 32 and 38 percent in recent surveys compared to between 15 and 23 percent for the leftist opposition.
"Don't pay too much heed in the polls, because they only work properly in true democracies," leading opposition figure Gordon Bajnai told the crowd, estimated at 50,000 by Hungarian media.
Orban, a charismatic but divisive figure who won a two-thirds majority in 2010, is seen by his supporters as a Messiah-type figure after eight years of rule by the Socialists.
Critics at home and abroad, including the European Union, however have often accused the premier of autocratic tendencies, saying the wave of reforms he has overseen have undermined the independence of key democratic institutions.
The group of five centre-left parties -- led by Attila Mesterhazy of the Socialists, and including former prime ministers Bajnai (2009-2010) and Ferenc Gyurcsany (2004-2009) -- has not given up hope.
Bajnai said the vote would be "free but not fair" after sweeping changes to election rules made by the Fidesz-dominated parliament which analysts say make it harder for Orban to lose.
"A place exists in Hungary where Orban is afraid of you, the voting booth!" Bajnaidur said to cheers.
The crowd, carrying both Hungarian and EU flags, occasionally broke into chants of "Orban get out!".
"We will probably lose, but there could be a surprise yet, we have to mobilise all our voters in the last week," Imre Csaki, a 45-year-old teacher holding a sign reading "That was enough, Orban!", told AFP.
Mesterhazy, who would become prime minister if the alliance won most votes at the April 6 vote, called Orban a "coward" for avoiding a televised debate.
On Saturday Orban touted his record to over 100,000 supporters after they marched through Budapest, and asked for "four more years".
Tens of thousands of supporters rallied in Budapest on Sunday in support of removing Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban with a centre-left opposition alliance at next weekend’s election.
Orban’s governing right-wing Fidesz party appears to have an unassailable lead in opinion polls, gaining between 32 and 38 percent in recent surveys compared to between 15 and 23 percent for the leftist opposition.
“Don’t pay too much heed in the polls, because they only work properly in true democracies,” leading opposition figure Gordon Bajnai told the crowd, estimated at 50,000 by Hungarian media.
Orban, a charismatic but divisive figure who won a two-thirds majority in 2010, is seen by his supporters as a Messiah-type figure after eight years of rule by the Socialists.
Critics at home and abroad, including the European Union, however have often accused the premier of autocratic tendencies, saying the wave of reforms he has overseen have undermined the independence of key democratic institutions.
The group of five centre-left parties — led by Attila Mesterhazy of the Socialists, and including former prime ministers Bajnai (2009-2010) and Ferenc Gyurcsany (2004-2009) — has not given up hope.
Bajnai said the vote would be “free but not fair” after sweeping changes to election rules made by the Fidesz-dominated parliament which analysts say make it harder for Orban to lose.
“A place exists in Hungary where Orban is afraid of you, the voting booth!” Bajnaidur said to cheers.
The crowd, carrying both Hungarian and EU flags, occasionally broke into chants of “Orban get out!”.
“We will probably lose, but there could be a surprise yet, we have to mobilise all our voters in the last week,” Imre Csaki, a 45-year-old teacher holding a sign reading “That was enough, Orban!”, told AFP.
Mesterhazy, who would become prime minister if the alliance won most votes at the April 6 vote, called Orban a “coward” for avoiding a televised debate.
On Saturday Orban touted his record to over 100,000 supporters after they marched through Budapest, and asked for “four more years”.
