Hungary’s New Leader Magyar Convinced Rural Voters He Cared More

Opposition leader Peter Magyar won resoundingly in Hungary, with key and unexpected backing coming from Viktor Orban’s most important fan base: the nation’s countryside.

The 45-year-old former Orban party insider bet that visiting even the smallest constituencies around the country of 10 million would pay off as he cast the ballot as a decision on whether to stay in the European Union. He spent much of the past two years on the road stumping for his Tisza party, culminating in a final before the vote where he visited as many as seven campaign stops a day.