Hungary's authoritarian leader and longtime Russian ally, Viktor Orban, has declared victory in the country's parliamentary elections, clinching a fourth consecutive term in power, Trend reports citing CNN.
Orban's Fidesz party had a commanding lead with 71% of the votes counted, Hungary's national elections board said on Sunday evening.
But despite opinion polls forecasting a tighter race, Orban's Fidesz party won comfortably across much of the country. Opposition leader Peter Marki-Zay even failed to win in his own district, where he had served as mayor.
"We have such a victory it can be seen from the moon, but it's sure that it can be seen from Brussels," Orban said in a victory speech on Sunday night, making light of his government's long-running tensions with EU leaders.