(Bloomberg) -- A woman who has vowed to annul Hungary's controversial constitution unexpectedly vaulted to the lead in the first round of an opposition primary that will pick a challenger to Viktor Orban in the tightest general election in more than a decade.
Klara Dobrev, 49, a vice president of the European Parliament and the only woman running for the nomination, pulled ahead of four rivals with 34% of the vote, according to Bloomberg calculations based on election data. Budapest Mayor Gergely Karacsony, the early front-runner, was second with 29%, with almost half of the ballots counted.
A runoff with the top three finishers is scheduled for next month if no candidate wins a majority in the first round. A second round may favor Karacsony, who may win endorsements from rivals after positioning himself as the candidate best able to win over undecided voters.
Read more: Orban Zeroes In on Spending, Anti-LGBTQ Law to Sway Hungary Vote
The winner will lead the main opposition parties, which have united for the first time to confront Orban in a general election likely to be held in April.
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