BUDAPEST, Oct 12 — Hungary's opposition failed to end a parliamentary super-majority enjoyed by the party of Prime Minister Vikor Orban yesterday after losing a by-election in the east of the country.

Success in the vote in Borsod would have ended the ruling Fidesz party's two-thirds majority in parliament and would have been a major boost for the opposition before a general election that is scheduled for 2022.

But the Fidesz candidate Zsofia Koncz won 51 per cent of ballots versus 46 per cent for opposition challenger Laszlo Biro, according to early results.

Hungarian opposition parties have united in a bid to break Orban's 10-year lock on power, presenting common candidates in elections.

They complain of bias in the tightly controlled media and an unfair playing field given the ruling party's control over state resources.

The European Union singled out Hungary for criticism in its first report on democratic standards across the bloc on September 30, raising alarm about judicial independence and a lack of action to tackle corruption.

After yesterday's election, Fidesz retains 133 out of 199 seats in the Hungarian parliament. — AFP