| Debrecen has been good to Viktor Orban. The city elected a mayor from his Fidesz party every time since 1998 and for the last 15 years helped keep the Hungarian leader in power. In return, Orban has been good to Debrecen, with more than $10 billion of investment going there as part of his vision to make the country the EV capital of Europe. But rather than a loyal stronghold, Debrecen now looks more like a microcosm of everything that’s going awry for the man who just months ago was hoping for a boost from the return of his ally Donald Trump to the White House, our colleague Zoltan Simon reports. A huge battery plant being built by China’s Contemporary Amperex Technology Co., or CATL, is the single biggest foreign investment in Hungarian history. It was meant to be emblematic of a prime minister at the peak of his powers. Instead, locals are complaining about the threat to the environment, the influx of Chinese workers in a country long known for its anti-immigrant rhetoric and Orban’s stewardship of the economy. The backbone of Fidesz’s support has been the middle class in places like Debrecen, where property prices soared as did living standards. But that sense of increasing prosperity is long gone. Indeed, recent years have been more about navigating a cost of living crisis and watching to see if the economy goes back into recession. EVs and their batteries were supposed to be the savior. That hasn’t worked out yet. In the meantime, Orban has been trailing in the polls before next year’s election, his once rock-solid grip on the country slipping. His challenger, Peter Magyar, has been touring Hungary looking to gain more ground. And last month, the crowds turned out in Debrecen as he mingled with protesters against the CATL plant and chatted with supporters. As one attendee put it: “This was unimaginable here in the past.”  A supporter holds a sign reading 'No Orban, No Battery, No Deal' at a Tisza Party campaign event near the CATL battery plant in Debrecen. Photographer: Akos Stiller/Bloomberg | 
