Orban faces the biggest threat to his 16-year rule, as most polls show Peter Magyar and his Tisza Party are on track to defeat him in the elections. Media-savvy Magyar is emerging as an attractive alternative for many younger voters dissatisfied with Orban's right-wing Fidesz party, sociologists and pollsters say. "Fidesz no longer understands young people," sociologist Daniel Oross told Reuters. Full-time students are a particularly important demographic group, he added, noting that if they voted as a bloc, they could lift a party above the five percent parliamentary threshold. The number of Hungarian emigrants has surged since Russia's invasion of neighboring Ukraine in 2022, which particularly negatively impacted the Hungarian economy and triggered the strongest inflationary shock in the European Union. EU surveys show that the majority are of working age between 20 and 34, and although many return, the balance is negative, partly due to what sociologists see as a lack of prospects in Hungary, one of the poorest members of the European Union. While issues like the lack of affordable housing affect young people across Europe, many problems stem from within, such as corruption or the quality of Hungarian education, which has sparked several protests since Orban's re-election in 2022. For some, like 18-year-old Tamara Pohly, Sunday's elections will be a decisive moment. "I wouldn't want to live in a country where people who vote for Fidesz or advocate Fidesz values are in the majority," she told Reuters. Pohly, who has participated in several student protests against Orban, wants to become an industrial designer and says she will move abroad after graduation if he remains in power. Orban abolished income tax for people under 25 and launched a subsidized housing loan program at three percent to help first-time buyers enter the housing market amid the steepest rise in housing prices in the EU under his leadership. "Even in the shadow of war, Hungary has done everything for young Hungarians to have a successful, independent life," Orban said at a pre-election rally in the southern Hungarian city of Szentes. However, his frustration has occasionally boiled over, calling youth opposition to his leadership a "fake uprising" or telling them they should be grateful for the measures his government has taken to support them. Fidesz, which originally emerged as an opposition youth movement during the Cold War, is currently supported by only eight percent of voters aged 18 to 29 according to a Median poll, or 22 percent in the broader 18 to 39 age range, according to Zavecz Research. Magyar has promised to unlock billions of euros for Hungary, which the EU suspended due to what it says is Orban's undermining of democratic freedoms. He says he wants to use part of these funds for education and affordable housing, key issues for younger voters. Zsolt Istvan Zoldi, who supports the radical right-wing party "Our Homeland," which could play a decisive role if it enters parliament, has no plans to leave Hungary but also wants changes. "Among young people, Fidesz is seen as a group of grumpy old men who are corrupt and narrow-minded," Zoldi said after a kickboxing training session. Zoldi cited his biggest concerns as the "catastrophic" state of public services, corruption, and Orban's dominance of traditional media. "Our Homeland" says it would expand student dormitories, launch a rental housing construction program, and reduce bureaucracy to help startups and discourage young people from emigrating. However, not all young people are against Orban. Gergo Farkas, 18, praises the Hungarian leader's experience, shaped through multiple crises, his strong ties with world leaders, and support for traditional Christian values. "He is a true Hungarian leader," Farkas said at an Orban rally in the western city of Szombathely. He added that anyone planning to leave Hungary because of politics is effectively guilty of betrayal. "A true Hungarian should not leave because of any government. We will have another election in four years, and then you can try again," he said.