- Title: HUNGARY: VOTING BEGINS IN THE FIRST ROUND OF HUNGARIAN ELECTIONS
- Date: 10th May 1998
- Summary: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY (MAY 10, 1998) (RTV) 1. TV RIVER DANUBE AND BUDAPEST 0.05 2. LV PARLIAMENT BUILDING 0.10 3. LV BOAT PASSING BY PARLIAMENT BUILDING 0.15 4. SV PEOPLE WALKING IN CENTRAL BUDAPEST 0.20 4. SV PEOPLE ENTERING POLLING STATION (2 SHOTS) 0.37 5. SV VARIOUS OF PEOPLE VOTING 96 SHOTS) 1.12 6. LV EXTERIOR OF POLLING STATION WHERE HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER AND SOCIALIST PARTY LEADER GYULA HORN VOTED 1.16 7. SV GYULA HORN ENTERING POLLING STATION WITH WIFE/ CASTING BALLOT (6 SHOTS) 1.47 8. SV GYULA HORN WALKING TOWARDS CAR ESCORTED BY JOURNALIST/ CAR LEAVES (3 SHOTS) 2.05 9. SV FIDESZ HUNGARIAN CIVIC PARTY LEADER, VIKTOR ORBAN ENTERING POLLING STATION, CASTING BALLOT/ WALKING IN STREET AFTER VOTING (7 SHOTS) 3.20 10. SV/LV VARIOUS STREET SCENES OF BUDAPEST/ DANUBE (3 SHOTS) 4.41 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 25th May 1998 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BUDAPEST, HUNGARY
- City:
- Country: EUROPE Hungary
- Reuters ID: LVA7I4IUS1NPCTFRXEG7VWG2LJBG
- Story Text: Voting has begun in the first round of the Hungarian elections.The result is expected to be a close call between ruling Socialists and the centre-right opposition.
Polling stations opened at 6 a.m.(0400 GMT) under sunny skies in Hungary on Sunday (May 10).Analysts were expecting a turnout as high as 70 percent of just under 8.1 million registered voters by the time the polls close at 7 p.m.(1700 GMT).
As of 11 a.m.(0900 GMT), the National Election Centre said 23.6 percent of Hungary's almost 8.1 million registered voters had cast their ballots.
The pace of voting in Hungary's third parliamentary elections since the collapse of communism was a bit slower than in 1994, when 32.5 percent had voted by the same hour.
But analysts were expecting the overall turnout to match the almost 70 percent level of four years ago and some Budapest polling station officials said turnout was equal to last time.
Prime Minister Gyula Horn cast his ballot in Budapest at 9 a.m.The premier made no remarks to reporters as he left the polling station.
Election officials said an anonymous bomb scare phoned into a polling station in Budapest forced its closure for more than an hour, but it was reopened when police found no evidence of explosives.
The election campaign has been marred by bombings of two rightist politicians' homes which caused extensive damage but no injuries.
Elections are held every four years in Hungary.This one has boiled down to a closely fought contest between the Socialists, who have overseen Hungary's economic recovery and its push to join NATO and the EU, and the centre-right Fidesz Hungarian Civic Party.
Fidesz, which projects a more youthful image than the Socialists, heirs to Hungary's former communist rulers, have campaigned for higher economic growth to help tens of thousands of Hungarians passed over so far by the country's economic boom.
Analysts are not expecting the first round to be decisive and say only the second round of voting in two week's time will show which leading party will be able to form a government.
Analysts do not expect any major policy changes should Fidesz come to power.
However, they say that if Fidesz forms a government, financial markets will adopt a wait-and-see attitude for a few months to assess how the new party performs in power.
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