BUDAPEST, April 9 (Xinhua) -- Polling stations opened in Hungary on Sunday for the first general elections in the country since it joined the European Union (EU) in 2004.

A Hungarian woman casts her ballot at a polling station about 30 km east of Budapest, capital of the country on April 9, 2006. [Xinhua/Reuters]

    More than 8 million Hungarians are expected to cast their ballots between 0400 GMT and 1700 GMT to decide who will control the country's 386-seat parliament.

    It is believed that there will be a close fight between Prime Minister Ferenc Gyurcsany's Socialist party and the main opposition conservative Fidesz party of former premier Viktor Orban.

    Earlier polls indicated that the Socialists had a slight advantage over Fidesz. But the final result is likely to come out after a runoff on April 23.

    On Saturday, Hungarian President Laszlo Solyom urged voters to take part in the elections, saying they "offer us a rare opportunity to pass judgment on the government's work and on whether the opposition has fulfilled its constitutional duty."

    The elections come at a time when the country's budget deficit is in urgent need of controlling and the economy needs steering toward the adoption of the euro in 2010.

    This year, Hungary's budget deficit is expected to be more than double the EU limit of 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP). The country has also to deal with unemployment and other pressing issues such as the modernization of health and education sectors.

    Gyurcsany, 44, is campaigning for the first re-election of a governing party since 1989. Orban, 42, could become the first premier to win two terms if elected.

    Gyurcsany came to power in September 2004 when Prime Minister Peter Medgyessy was ousted midway through his four-year term. Orban was prime minister between 1998 and 2002. Enditem