Gabor Vona seeks to make Jobbik Hungary's official opposition

Gabor Vona seeks to make Jobbik Hungary's official opposition
By Euronews
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The leader of Hungary's Jobbik party has dragged it from the far-right to the mainstream and is one of the main election challengers to Viktor Orban's Fidesz.

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​Gabor Vona is the opposition leader seeking to capture the protest vote against Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Vona's Jobbik party started out as xenophobic group well known for its anti-Semitic views. It also campaigned against "gypsy crime" - Roma gypsies are the largest ethnic minority in Hungary.

But as Chairman of the Party, Vona has gradually brought Jobbik into the mainstream in the hope of widening its political base.

By focussing its attacks on corruption and cronyism, and highlighting the need to tackle social inequality in Hungary, Jobbik has struck a chord with disaffected Hungarians.

Victory in the elections looks to be beyond them, but with the country's socialist party in disarray, Jobbik is looking to consolidate itself as the leading party of opposition.

Vona is focusing on a "Top 40" list of winnable constituencies, all of them outside Budapest and mainly in rural areas - while giving left and green parties a clear run in urban zones.

Orban's Fidesz party was roundly beaten in a rural by-election last month - when opposition parties united behind a single candidate - and Jobbik is hoping that tactical voting will now work in its favour in the national election.

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