The conservative and non-party outsider Peter Marki-Zay will challenge the right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orbán as an opposition candidate in the parliamentary election in 2022.

The 49-year-old won a primary organized by the opposition with a clear lead over his social democratic rival Klara Dobrev, as the pre-election commission announced on Sunday evening after all votes were counted.

Accordingly, Marki-Zay got 56.71 percent of the vote and Dobrev 43.29 percent.

This is the first time that such a code has taken place in Hungary. Six previously divided opposition parties - from the left-green to the right-wing conservative - are supposed to support the winner in the election campaign against Orban. "Today we also changed the opposition," said Marki-Zay. The opposition can only succeed in defeating Orban if they work together. “The way out is neither right nor left, only up,” he added. He agreed with Dobrev that the cohesion of the opposition could not be destroyed.

Marki-Zay's strengths: As a conservative from the Hungarian lowlands, an avowed Catholic and father of seven children, he can appeal to voters in the country who are conservative but may no longer be so convinced of Orbán's rule.

At the same time, he does not piss off the urban, more left-wing voters of the big cities, because his conservatism is paired with open-mindedness, tolerance and the ability to compromise.

Marki-Zay studied economics, electrical engineering and history.

From 2004 to 2009 he lived with his family in Canada and the USA.

He only got into politics in 2018.

At that time he won - also surprisingly - the mayoral election in Hodmezövasarhely.

Until then, the place was considered an impregnable stronghold of the Orban party Fidesz.

The following year he repeated the election victory.

Participation in the area code reached a record high: 662,016 voters voted within six days until Saturday evening.

633,811 citizens took part in the first round of the primary election at the end of September.

This value already exceeded the organizers' expectations.

There were five top candidates to choose from at the time.

In the first round, citizens also voted in 94 out of 106 constituencies on the respective common direct candidates for parliament.