The piece criticizes Orbán’s policies toward Hungary’s Roma minority, which makes up about 8 percent of the country’s 9.5 million population. It highlights the reduction of the mandatory schooling age from 18 to 16, which the NYT says has prompted many Roma youths to leave formal education at 17.

The article does not detail why Roma students drop out at higher rates than other groups in Hungary. It claims the policy change primarily aimed to feed the economy with low-paid blue-collar workers.

The NYT also points to the Orbán government’s “workfare” policy, launched in 2011, which has strongly affected Roma communities, particularly in rural Hungary. This replaced standard welfare payments with wages for low-skill public jobs.

Another critique targets Hungary’s public schooling system, which the Times views as effectively segregated. It argues that church-run schools lack sufficient Roma enrollment.

A social worker at a rural kindergarten for Romani children is quoted criticizing Orbán and Fidesz’s handling of the minority. The article implies Roma voters will turn out against Orbán this election.

Yet a subtler point emerges: even the left-leaning New York Times dismisses polls showing Tisza Party’s huge national leads.

Instead, it suggests the race hinges on narrow margins within the Roma voting bloc.

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