Small-town mayor Peter Marki-Zay wins primary to challenge Hungary’s PM Viktor Orban

A conservative mayor will lead Hungary’s united opposition parties against Prime Minister Viktor Orban in the most fiercely contested election in more than a decade.

Peter Marki-Zay dominated the six-party alliance’s primary run-off, defeating Klara Dobrev, a European Parliament vice-president and the candidate of DK, the biggest opposition party. Dobrev conceded the race on Sunday evening.

Marki-Zay has vowed to undo Orban’s stranglehold on politics, the economy and culture in the European Union member state, including by firing loyalists the premier has appointed to lead state institutions. He’s also pledged to disregard parts of the constitution he says serve to ensure Orban’s influence even in case of an election defeat.

At first glance, the 49-year-old Marki-Zay, who voted for Orban’s Fidesz party back in 2010, is an unlikely choice for the mostly urban and liberal opposition. Since then the Hungarian leader has become a standard bearer for European populists and a thorn in the side of the EU by championing his anti-immigrant, anti-liberal agenda as the defence of Christian and conservative values.

“We want to build a new Hungary and bring about a new culture where love reigns,” Marki-Zay said in his victory speech in downtown Budapest. “You can’s defeat darkness with darkness, only with light.”

In his pitch to voters, Marki-Zay said it was precisely his conservative credentials – he’s a devout Catholic and the father of seven children – paired with a drive to root out corruption and restore democratic checks and balances that made him electable even in rural areas, Orban’s key constituency.