Hungarian Socialists have narrowly defeated the governing centre-right coalition in the first round of general elections.
In Sunday's vote, the Socialists won 42.03 per cent of votes for party lists, against 41.11 per cent for the governing coalition of Prime Minister Mr Viktor Orban's Fidesz-Hungarian Civic Party and the Hungarian Democratic Forum.
Socialists were also leading in 75 of the 131 constituencies decided by direct vote where no candidate got more than 50 per cent, forcing a second round of voting on April 21st.
With 185 out of 386 parliamentary seats decided in the first round, the Socialists had won 93 of them, Fidesz 87 and the Free Democrats four. One seat was awarded to a candidate nominated by both the Socialists and the Free Democrats.
The Hungarian Justice and Life party, a small but vocal right-wing party, had 3.7 per cent, short of the 5 percent needed to get into parliament.
With the elections not decided by Sunday's results, a runoff will be held April 21st in those of the 176 individual constituencies where no one won an outright majority or where turnout is under 50 per cent. The rest of the 386 parliamentary seats are decided in votes cast for parties.
With the Socialists winners of the first round, and the Free Democrats in third place, Mr Orban's party is unlikely to muster enough reserve support in the second runoff round to turn the tables on the Socialists.
The Socialists and Free Democrats already governed together from 1994 to 1998, and Free Democrat officials from the parties said talks would begin today on how to pool resources ahead of the second round.
AP