(Bloomberg) -- Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said his government has ordered a cap on the cost of six basic food items to help temper the impact of spiraling inflation as the nation prepares for its most closely contested election in more than a decade.
The price of sugar, flour, sunflower oil, chicken breast, pork leg and milk with a fat content of 2.8% must be sold at Oct. 15 price levels in all stores starting next month, Orban said in a Facebook video on Wednesday following a cabinet meeting.
Read more: Orban's Pre-Election Spending Leaves Hole in Hungary's Budget
Orban's administration has already capped fuel prices and frozen mortgage rates to ease the burden on households after consumer prices rose to an almost 14-year high of 7.4% in November.
Facing an alliance of six opposition parties who aim to unseat him in the April ballot, his government has also embarked on a spending spree that includes giving almost $2 billion in tax rebates to families and hikes to pension checks and the minimum wage.
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