Orban on Defensive as Yacht Orgy Video Mars Election Race
- Video of Orban ally causes unusual disarray in ruling party
- Premier tries to distance himself from case as voting starts
A campaign billboard of the city mayor Istvan Tarlos is seen through a tram window in Budapest on Oct. 9.
Photographer: Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images
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Hungary’s municipal elections appeared to catch Prime Minister Viktor Orban on the defensive as a video of one of his allies rollicking in an orgy on a luxury yacht handed an unexpected last-minute gift to the opposition.
Orban, who in brief comments Sunday tried to distance himself from the scandal, can still count on the tight grip he has on the country. He has crushed civil society and controls much of the national media. At stake now is whether the case can taint him or whether he’s succeeded in making himself untouchable.